{For my Sister's Dog, Kuz. I'm glad you're finally free of pain, and hopefully peeing everywhere to your heart's content, you silly old dog.}
[North]
When Coro woke up, he found himself chained and suspended in the air of some dimly lit room. And it was only dimly lit because of his own natural light.
"Man, I bet Arshan is doing some really cool stuff right now." Those were the first words the Rookie uttered when his consciousness returned.
"Kinda, he was making a cool speech!" A voice made him turn his gaze downward to see Sangomon with her arms crossed. "But I'm so upset!"
"Why?" Coro asked.
"How come you and that other Digimon get the cool chains!?" Sangomon pointed to Coro's right where Uver was similarly chained as Coro, with seemingly seal tags he lacked. "They just dumped me in here!"
Sangomon was not chained and bound as the other two, but that didn't stop her from pouting, as if the lack of restraint was an insult.
"Maybe they're getting it right now?" Coro innocently offered. Still, as he tried to pull, he felt the restraints respond to even the smallest of movements, making it harder for him to move.
"I doubt it!" Sangomon continued to huff before she stood up. "You know what? If they don't think I'm a threat that's their problem! I'm gonna… gonna free you and Uver!"
The rookie focused on Coro's lower chains. "Coral Pressure!" Water shot out of the rookie's limbs, but all the chains did was buckle from her attack.
"You don't have to overpower something," Coro caught the attention of his pal. "I noticed that Uver's got paper on her. You can technically break those, right?"
Sangomon realized that was true and began to gather water and aim it at a sealed Uver. Even for the Digital World, cold water and cats did not mix. But before Uver was about to awaken in the most unpleasant of manners, her symbol glowed, and Coro felt a shift in the air.
While the feeling passed as soon as it came, miles and miles away, it did little to stop the purple figure staring into the vast expanse of ocean.
"... Of course you'd return to the ocean…" Robotic green eyes flared with equal parts contempt and battle-lust.
[East]
Calumon. Calumon.
Yuma knew that name. Tai told stories of the 3rd Generation, how a small and seemingly harmless Digimon held and represented the greatest power of all Digimon: Digivolution. During the climax of the 3rd Generation, that "harmless" little one boosted a mass of Digimon to the Mega Level as they fought against the D-Reaper.
Now? That Digimon he's heard so much about was here? And Noble Pumpkinmon was protecting him? No, more than that!
In front of him, a Paladin, a 3rd Generation Digidestined like Henry, yanked the chained Ringmaster up to his face. He was demanding Noble Pumpkin reveal his "special guest."
Yuma didn't know the full extent of the situation, but he understood enough that Ranga Lordmon should never be allowed access to the power of Digivolution itself!
"Execute!" Yuma stepped over the bar railings, igniting his Digivice. "Spirit Evolution!"
"Oh no," Noble Pumpkinmon gasped as Kazu turned towards the Mushamon.
If the gap between a Mega and an Ultimate was akin to a chasm, a champion to a Mega would have been beyond daunting. But that did not stop Yuma as he ignited his blade and—
Grab!*
KRACKOOM!
"Oooooh hohoho!" Kazu exhaled a laugh. "I admit, that was clever!"
Much happened within an instant: Yuma sped with all his speed and his blade aimed at Kazu… at least until the last moment where his blade changed angle… at Noble Pumpkinmon's chains. However, Kazu was still in the form of a Mega, Hi-Andromon, catching Yuma's blade with his bare hand before it could even touch the chains. But Kazu didn't stop there, crushing the blade with his bare hands and back-handing the Restorer with enough force to create a shockwave and send him crashing into one of the walls.
"Yuma!?" Fanbeemon shouted.
With a fight breaking out, and Noble Pumpkinmon captured, the Digimon originally watching started to panic and run out of the carnival tent.
"Don't hurt him!" Noble Pumpkinmon screamed.
"Relax, I'm not trying to kill… wait. Did that Digimon just call out Yuma? That sounds like a human na…" The Paladin froze as his mind connected faster than his mouth did.
Because of his pause, four more people arrived to the carnival. "Ah!? What's going on!?" "Isabella, look over there!"
Rose, Isabella, Labramon, and Impmon saw the situation. Without wasting a second, the two raised their Digivices.
"Wait a second," Kazu looked on with surprise as two more champions in Darcmon and Quetzalmon appeared. "Are those the 7th Generation? They were here too?"
"Digi-Modify!" Isabella slid the card in her device, "Cloaking Veil!"
Quetzalmon slithered forward, his form bleeding with the light as Darcmon unleashed a war cry and rushed for the Mega with her blade raised.
Unfortunately for them, Kazu was now a mechanical mega. His opticals changed to a different visual spectrum as he moved forward to grab Darcmon by the leg and use her as a make-shift club in slamming the angel down on Quetzalmon, stopping him from getting close to Noble Pumpkinmon.
"Wait, how many of you are there!?" Kazu cried out before his heightened senses looked over to see Kentaro rushing in, opposite of where the girls arrived.
Kentaro scanned the area, and he knew things were dire. A Mega, more than likely a Paladin, and Yuma, Quetzalmon, and Darcmon all failed to free a restrained Noble Pumpkinmon. Even if Kotemon was here, and Kentaro was beating himself mentally for making such a blunder at a critical time, what could he even do?
"Oh, I see? A surprise attack. Clever." Kentaro raised his brow when Hi-Andromon stated that. But his eyes widened fully when he saw Kotemon fall from above, raising his Blue Flare-given blade down on the Mega.
With less effort than the previous 3, Hi-Andromon snatched Kotemon mid-strike, grabbing him by the neck.
"KOTEMON!" Kentaro yelled as he got his Digivice—
"Alright, quit it!" Kazu yelled, his voice carrying to every 7th Generation there. He turned to Noble Pumpkinmon. "Look, I don't wanna hurt these guys either. But now, you've got a choice. Either you give me Calumon… or I take these guys instead. And I really hope you give me Calumon."
Noble Pumpkinmon began to sweat. However, his hesitation made Kazu grip Kotemon's neck tighter. "I DON'T need the Digimon partners."
"Alright! Alright!" Noble Pumpkinmon sighed. "He's… here. I hid him in a spell that hides him in plain sight. In the center of the ring."
After hearing that, Hi-Andromon's eyes shifted using a scanner to detect an energy bubble he was not aware of. His free hand transformed into some kind of electrical plug, surging with power before he launched a pulse, revealing a floating bubble invisible to all.
The bubble popped…
"Ooooffff!"
The Restorers had all heard of Calumon, they had wondered what kind of epic Digimon could grant Digivolution to others.
They were not expecting one of the most adorable looking creatures to land face-first into the ground.
"Heeeyyyy, Ringmaster! I was bouncing!" The little Digimon pawed dust off his eyes as he looked up.
"Calumon… it's been so…" Kazu's voice softened before he shook his head. "Calumon, hey. I-It's me."
"Huh?" Calumon turned over to Hi-Andromon before a huge smile appeared on his face and he waddled up to the Paladin. "Oh, hey Kazu! Long time no see! How are you doing!?"
The features of Hi-Andromon, a machine, seemed to soften. A human voice predominantly came out of him instead of two voices overlapping. "I-I'm doing fine. L-Listen, I need your help, okay? You're gonna come with me, so I finally get a chance to get to both Taka—"
"YOU WON'T GET HIM!" A shrill yell revealed Yuma, holding his broken blade and sliding in between Calumon and Kazu.
The Mega's eyes narrowed, a far cry from the moment before. "Alright, I went easy on you, but if you keep this up—"
"AAHHHH!" Yuma charged forward, stubborn in his belief that Calumon going to Ranga Lordmon was unacceptable. Ticked off, Hi-Andromon responded by punching him in the ground with enough force to crack the earth beneath him.
"Yuma!" Funbeemon cried out before attempting to fly towards her vassal.
And then… something interesting happened. All the other Restorers had a look of fear in their eyes as he took that blow. And their emotions, and the energy of Kazu's attack, reacted to Calumon.
A signal to the Digi-Entelechy made his forehead shine a blinding red that enveloped the whole tent…
Outside, Baron, his sock puppet, and Dexter huffed as they ran.
"Okay! Going through that crowd was harder than it had any right to be!" Baron did not appreciate how the crowd of Digimon escaping ended up pushing him and his partner back. He knew something was off, but the path he had to take was not the best.
But as he cleared the area, he saw a blinding red light in the tent.
Soon after, the tent itself burst into flames, followed by several ear-hurting roars.
"Oh no!" Baron ran with his partner, entering the tent… and only seeing hell. It was hard not to see it that way, with fire filling the once lively entertainment area.
"Baron, move!" Dexter tackled his partner out of the way from something pouncing all three of them from above, a Digimon he had never seen before—if it was a Digimon— turned to face—oh. Baron wished it didn't do that. His Digivice showed the being in front of him, much to his regret.
Devidramon. Ultimate.
"Hold on a second… I recognize that form?" Dexter, although taking a stance to protect Baron, raised his brow in recognition. "Labramon?"
"Labra— that's Rose's partner!?" Baron yelled before they heard another sound. If Devidramon was scary, a tall being shrouded in the ashes rose, eyes glowing before falling on Devidramon, who roared in response.
A giant arm swiped at Devidramon, making the Ultimate fly up and fire red lasers from its many eyes. Baron was surprised as gold energy shined and revealed the bigger Digimon. His digivice informed him that the opposing Digimon was another dragon, Majiramon! Another Ultimate! To counter the lasers, Majiramon unleashed an orb of golden energy that clashed with Devidramon.
Dexter had no choice but to go between Baron's legs and carry him away from the clash of the two attacks.
"From what I can observe, that Majiramon has the same movements as Impmon! And those shining goggles on his head are uncommon amongst his kind!" Dexter yelled as he tried to find any sign of both Rose and Isabella.
"Wait, they both reached Ultimate!?" Baron yelled before he heard sounds of greater fighting towards the center.
"Blade of Justice!" "Fire Fist of Shiva!" Baron was confused, two Digimon were in some kind of free for all with a Mega, a Hi-Andromon!
"Ugh! These guys are tough for ultimates?!" Baron overheard the Hi-Andromon complain in an oddly casual tone. "What do you mean it's because one of them is 4th Generation, while the other is being boosted by that Katana?!"
Screams of power surfaced over the growing flames. But the sound of those screams, although multiple, felt like they came from one being overlapping with multiple voices. Baron's eyes widened as his Digivice showed the Digimon causing all this flame:
Asuramon. Ultimate.
"Is that… who I think it is?" Baron didn't need to wait for Dexter to identify that Digimon. He knew that… anger. It was impossible to mistake that for anyone but Yuma.
"Fire Fist of Shiva!" Asuramon rushed at Hi Andromon, igniting one of his fists before punching forward. The attack expanded more than even Kazu expected. The Mega Digimon blocked the punch, but it did not stop the wave of fire from overwhelming and developing the Biomerge. The wave of flames continued to ignite the rest of the carnival, burning through the tent and destroying nearby areas that were once filled with playful cries and music.
"Why are you guys destroying everything?!" Baron cried out. "I don't understand! Why is everyone an ultimate and where is everyone else!?" Baron and Dexter made the mistake of looking away. While doing so, they caught the attention of Knightmon. The two saw the blade, the ornate blade not usually wielded by his kind, being pointed and soon slashed in their direction.
"Get out of the way!" To their surprise, a large goop-like substance hit the ground where night mom stepped into. The goop in question turned out to be in an adhesive as it halted Knightmons' attack.
Until he started to cut at it.
"Come, this way!" A new robotic voice called out, making Baron and Dexter see another Digimon neither had seen before: a robot… bee?
"Fanbeemon?" Baron's Digivice corrected the teen, saying the Champion in front of him was Forgebeemon.
"Come on! They're bringing the area down!" The Champion fired more chunks of adhesive on the falling support, but they were still failing fast.
"Fascinating! A high-caliber adhesive cannon! I'll keep that in mind for my own future endeavors!" Dexter ran, leaving the tent and catching up with the new Digimon. Both he and Baron saw Isabella and Rose, both rubbing their heads and groaning.
"Fan-er Forgebeemon, what happened!?" Baron asked. "How did you all Digivolve!?"
"Remember how Tai and the others talked about a digimon that could Digivolve others in Calumon? He was here and was Noble Pumpkinmon's special guest! And a Paladin from the 3rd generation scared the Digimon to evolve everyone in the area!"
The latecomer supposed there was some advantage after all in his slowness. "But wait, if everyone did so, how come they're fighting each other?!" Baron saw the battle break out, Yuma, Knightmon, Devidramon, and Majirqmon chase after Hi-Andromon, but brawl against each other while in pursuit.
"I… I think it's the sudden Digivolution!" Forgebeemon said. "Isabella's and Kentaro's, they're 3rd generation! We were warned digivolving to Ultimate for the first time would make us go out of control! Yuma as well; Koji was afraid of us reaching Ultimate on the off chance it was similar to how the Beast Spirits worked!"
"What of Labramon? And you?" Dexter asked, realizing Labramon wasn't a 4th or 3rd Generation Digimon partner.
"I don't know about Labramon, but uhh I was out of whack, until I realized everything was on fire!" Forgebeemon admitted. "I saw Isabella and Rose here, but I didn't see where Kentaro, Noble Pumpkinmon, or even Calumon went!"
As Isabella and Rose also came to their senses, more explosions arose from the fighting between the Paladin and the 4 Ultimates.
"Oh no! What are we gonna do!? They'll destroy the whole place?!" Baron gasped.
"Our best bet is to find and free Noble Pumpkinmon! If we can get those anti-magic chains off him!" Forgebeemon said before Dexter raised his head.
"Not to worry, friends! That's exactly why Baron and I have been hard at work! I have just the invention for this predicament!" Dexter huffed.
The raven-haired teen looked at his partner in disbelief. "Dexter, that thing exploded several times!"
"And, I had just solved the combustion problem! I meant to implement it before the shrill cries of terror!"
More shrill cries of terror echoed from the fighting. Forgebeemon shook her head. "We have to calm them down! They'll destroy this place at this rate!"
"Okay!" Rose chimed in, now with her bearings returned. "Then this is a time for one of Isabella's plans!"
"Ehhh!?" The brunette looked to the group. "W-Why me!?"
"You're great at it!" Rose had a look on her eyes that showed nothing but admiration. "I noticed when things got bad, sometimes you move forward with cool ideas!"
"N-No! I-I can't! Not without Impmon at least! And we need at least both Baron's partner and Forgebeemon to calm one of them down!"
Dr Leaf Petal spoke at last. "Noli solliciti esse, O venerable sodales et comites! I shall harbor the grievous onus which by fate's decree the thaumaturge Dexter must needs bear. Hie thee henceforth unto the field of strife, enrobed in the mantle of virtus et audacia; per aspera ad astra, let our valor resound throughout the ages!"
And then the puppet flew away.
A second passed before everyone turned to Baron. "What did he just say?" Rose asked.
"Oh, splendid! It seems Dr. Leaf Petal will pull the final touches on the machine. That will leave me and Queen Forgebeemon to assist you after all!" Dexter semi-translated, implying that the magical sock puppet would make the finishing touches.
"Come on, Isabella!" Rose took the hands of the younger girl. "I know you can do it!"
Isabella groaned with all attention on her. However, the words from Noble Pumpkinmon echoed into her mind.
-I choose Bravery over fear.-
A mantra. Isabella inhaled as she wishered the phrase. And then, a thought occurred to her: Impmon. While she was cowering here, what if he was in pain? That scared her more than anything else.
"O-Okay," Isabella clutched her Digivice. "I-I have an idea. We need to find Majiramon first!"
[Kentaro]
Kentaro had the foresight to get to Noble Pumpkinmon before the fighting spiraled into hellish chaos. However, when the chosen Digimon went berserk, he had no choice but to drag the thankfully light Digimon away. He did lose sight of Calumon, blown away when Yuma viciously attacked Hi-Andromon.
"Come on! Stupid thing! Why won't these break!?" Kentaro huffed for air as he tried to break the anti-magic chains on Noble Pumpkinmon.
"This was made by a powerful Mega," The Ringmaster sighed. "It makes sense that a 3rd Generation can copy its power."
Kentaro raised his brow. "Yeah, wait? How did he use a card? I noticed other 3rd Generations can't do so when they Biomerge."
"From what I spotted before being ambushed? He equipped and likely buffed his Digimon before the Biomerge. Clever on his part." The Ringmaster turned to the fighting. "I'm more worried for Calumon. He's a good kid, this fighting might be scaring him."
"You should be more worried about getting out of these chains," Kentaro looked to the trapped ringmaster. "When you get your full magic back, then we can fix things!"
"... You should go to your partner." Noble Pumpkinmon looked at Kentaro solemnly.
"Didn't you hear what I said?"
"I did. He needs you more." The Ringmaster's voice held no levity as he usually did, but the same tone he did when he corrected Yuma.
"I just…" Kentaro thought back to his last memory of Kotemon. He stood up, walking away and rubbing his head harder than he needed to. "It's complicated."
Noble Pumpkinmon knew time was short. "He's in pain, you know? I only reached Mega because of Calumon long ago during the 3rd Generation. But by then he could master his power. I am very aware that if he activates his power subconsciously, as when he just did, the Digimon will go beserk in their new state. It's as painful for them as it is for others."
- "I want to be closer to you, Kentaro."-
Kentaro screamed as he kicked away nearby debris. But the yell was not for physical pain, but a scar on the heart. He was so guarded, so wary of others, but now his wariness was causing the same pain someone had caused him? Hypocrisy hurts, even when he was the one using it.
"Your Digivice is still connected to him. Surely, you have something that can help even now?" Noble Pumpkinmon asked.
Kentaro looked at his Digivice. "Well, hopefully, I've got something to help out. But what about you?"
"You already put me in a safe area. Calm your partner; the rest will follow suit." The Mega glanced towards the fighting.
Kentaro hesitated before he bolted in the direction of the fight. He did do something wrong, but unlike someone in his past, he was going to right it.
…He just hoped he wouldn't make the situation worse.
[Forgebeemon.]
This was going to get worse before it got downright disastrous.
Sure, Forgebeemon was more than glad to finally evolve but unfortunately, the problem was that she had to fight stronger opponents in her own berserk allies. She did not like the idea of fighting Yuma let alone all the other ones who reached a higher level.
The five of them ran up to the fighting. They didn't have to look far for their target as they spotted the dragon unleashing another golden blast that destroyed several carnival games.
"There he is!" Isabella pointed to her partner. Lucky them, Majiramon was big enough that they could spot him from their location. The bad news was that vision went both ways as the Ultimate spotted them. Dexter moved first gathering energy into the cannons at the top of his head.
"Sedona!" The blasts flew in the air, but Majiramon dodged them by simply slithering his body to avoid the blasts. Even though he was dodging, his incoming momentum did not decrease towards the Restorers.
"Isabella! Here he comes!" Forgebeemon said, as she attempted to slow down the incoming ultimate by firing her adhesive blast. However, Isabella's partner weaved past each shot, bending his body akin to a river in motion away from every hit.
Meanwhile, Isabella fished for her card. While her partner was still in a berserk state, it shouldn't have stopped his connection to her device.
She hoped.
"Digi-modify! Status Restore!" It was a gamble since the car specifically stated it would restore the buffs and status ailments like poison and paralysis. But Isabella played a certain famous monster-collection game, and these kinds of items restored all debuffs, so it would work on Digimon too, right?
ROAR!?
Right?!
Majiramon swatted away both Forgebeemon and Dexter, looming over the group. Energy gathered into his maw…
… then stopped as fast. "Whoa. That's one gnarly headache." A carefree voice did not match the visage of the noble dragon, as he used his limb to clutch his head. He opened his eyes again, revealing calmer pupils, before they fell on Isabella. "Hey, Isa, you look smaller than usual. What gives?"
Baron, Rose, and Isabella sighed in relief. Isabella started to tear up and cry before she fell to her knees.
"Impmon, you're back!" The young brunette said through teary eyes.
"Back? You're saying that as if I ever left," Another pang in Majiramon's head made him recall, "Oh yeah? Where is that hunk of junk we were fighting?"
As if to answer his question, a beam of energy ripped apart more of the carnival some spaces away. But another problem arose. The group heard the sound of both roars and nightmares. Devildramon had arrived and unleashed an attack right for the ones standing ahead of everyone, which was Isabella the younger girl screamed and covered her head as the attack…
Never came. But it was odd. She thought she heard the attack making contact and could feel the impact of a blow… yet she felt fine? Only by opening her eyes did she see what was happening.
Clashing energies, red and gold opposed each other. Majiiramon had sped to intercept the attack. But there was a problem: Majiiramon's evolution was artificial, as such when he regained his senses…
"RAAAHHHH!?" Devildramon pushed her claws forward, overpowering the larger dragon and sending him flying into one of the smaller tents and booths.
…Majiramon did not have full control over his new body.
With Isabella's partner gone, Devildramon roared and rushed forward to the screaming girl—
"Stop! Labramon!" Devildramon's nail stopped just shy of Rose's eyelid. The blonde ran up and extended her arms to shield Isabella. While the action was reckless, it appears that it worked at this moment.
"What are you doing!?" "Stop! Any sudden movements and she can hurt Rose!" Baron tried to move forward, but Dexter shouted at the rest.
"Hey, Labramon," Rose's features softened towards the snarling creature. "It's me, Rose! You know… the girl who… asks a bitttt too many questions?" She laughed nervously, but the beast still growled.
"I—I know you're in there," Much to the surprise of those watching, Rose stepped forward, moving slightly away from the still frozen claw. "When I woke up, I knew nothing. I'm not even sure Rose is my real name. But you wanna know what was real to me? It was you, Labramon. I know you say that I saved your life by grabbing you from those Eaters at the last second, but to me? You saved me, by letting me be someone."
Rose slowly moved her hand out to the Ultimate, who at first, flinched and raised her claws once more, but stopped. This made the blonde amnesiac move her had closer towards the face of the combination of both demon and dragon. "I know it hurts, and you're just as scared as I was."
For a moment, all was quiet. Rose's hand caressed the maw of the vicious ultimate, whose species were known for their violence and destruction. "So let me help you, okay? We're partners."
Rose's Digivice glowed faintly, not that anyone focused as pupils formed within the crimson eyes of Devidramon. When they did, the body of the fearsome ultimate went slack with tears forming in her eyes.
"My lady! I— forgive me! What I did—almost did to you!"
"Hey, hey! You're fine! You're good! … Welcome back, Labramon." Rose smiled with relief, closing in to hug her partner… even if she reeked of power and darkness.
"Hey! Hey! What about me!?" Everyone turned to see Majiramon getting back up, wiping debris off him "What about sending some of that sorry my way, huh? Especially after that cheapshot!"
"No need." Labramon as Devidramon fell back to her cold demeanor when looking over to Isabella's partner. "After all, you did not apologize for several golden blasts sent my way."
"Oh ha ha. You know, maybe you're still a bit berserk. I guess you won't mind another gold blast to your noggin." Majiiramon motioned to put his goggles over his eyes, power brimming in them. Devidramon snarled in response.
"Labramon!" "Impmon!" The two Blue Flare Restorers cried out to their partners.
Good news and bad news arrived for the Eastern Restorers: good news? The two girls didn't need to calm their partners down. The bad news? That was because a giant pillar of fire erupted in the distance.
"Oh no!? Yuma!" Forgebeemon used her new form to rush over to where the attack came from.
[Asuramon]
"Finally, this downloaded data took forever!" Hi-Andromon narrowly avoided a gigantic arm attempting to smash his entire form. But that narrow dodge was purposely calculated. The Mega stood alongside the fist, gathering energy into his transformed arm-sword and stabbing it into the rushing hand.
Yuma screamed, grabbing one of his hands that was torn right down the middle, but that gave the biomerge the chance to run behind the taller Digimon and smash a shockwave-creating punch into his knee, sending the berserk 4th generation Digidestined crashing.
Without relenting, the Biomerge slammed into the back of the multi-faced Digimon. His hands transformed into whips that spread out and restrained the remaining limbs and unleashed a powerful electrical charge with the intent stun.
However, there was one miscalculation: they weren't dealing with a Digimon, but a HUMAN with Digimon powers.
Yuma was simmering in his rage as he felt the forceful transformation. But the pain he felt now? It only made him angrier, and as Karatenmon once said: Digimon are powered by human emotions, and the 4th Generation "cuts the middleman" out of that relationship.
The result of this was a pillar of fire exploding, rising to burn even the sky… revealing a magical image burned away and singed junk high above them.
Hi-Andromon was thrown off, his form overheating from the intense flames. However, he had no time to react as the berserk Asuramon regained its footing and proceeded to unleash a rushing flurry of attacks with its remaining arms.
"Yuma!" A single voice snapped Asuramon from his attack. All of his faces turned to see Forgebeemon flying nearby. "As your queen, I order you to calm down!"
Her words worked!
"RAAAHHHHHHH!"
… If it was Opposite Day.
"Treasure Arrow!" "Red Lance!" A golden arrow and concentrated red lasers sailed past Forgebeemon, smashing into the chest of Asuramon and sending him sliding back.
Majiramon and Devidramon speed past the stunned champion.
"Digi-Modify: Training Restraints!" Isabella's voice called out before a set of body restraints appeared on Majiramon's person. But thanks to the dragon's snake-like body, he slipped out of the restraints like water and threw it at Yuma. The restraints snapped around Asuramon, binding his body.
Devidramon flew in, closing in on the faces of Asuramon as she cried out, "Red Eye!" and sent a pulse of energy right into the multiple eyes of the Digimon. The energy froze Asuramon, as if Devidramon's attack was paralyzing the rampaging Ultimate.
"There we go!" Baron and the others caught up. "We've got Yuma restrained! But how do we snap him out of his rage?"
"Hmm?" Dexter saw something moving in the corner of his eyes. "Hey! It's the Paladin! He's escaping!" By the time Dexter pointed, the Restorers saw Hi-Andromon leaving the area, no doubt going after Calumon.
However, when Dexter called this out, Devidramon looked away, stopping her paralyzing attack on Asuramon. While his body was immobile, his rage was not contained. He broke through the restraints, surprising the two Ultimates. Devidramon attempted to restart her attack but was quickly grabbed and slammed into the ground.
Majiramon moved—but was swiftly kicked as Asuramon positioned himself perfectly after slamming Devidramon. Following that, the berserk Yuma hurled the black dragon into the gold dragon, plowing both of them into the ground.
All three faces screamed as the un-injured arms erupted with blazing fire, with intent to annihilate the two downed Ultimates.
"No, stop Yuma!" Forgebeemon flew in front of the raging Ultimate. "Snap out of it! I know you're in there—!"
Forgebeemon made a mistake: she believed in Yuma. But it didn't stop the raging Asuramon from unleashing all three fists… into the champion, causing a fiery explosion…
"Forgeebeemon!" Dexter voice could not contain the worry and fear in his, and the other's souls in seeing Yuma's partner take the brunt of a finishing move. Something flew out of the dust, crashing into the ground beneath.
Forgebeemon… maybe… her form flickered and glitched, as the metal of her body was charred and liquefying.
Yet… Dexter's scream… pierced through the rage of Asuramon. Pupils returned to Asuramon's eyes as…
"... Fanbee…mon?" Yuma's senses returned too late, his eyes falling on the flickering form of his trusted partner.
CRASH!
To the surprise of everyone, they saw what looked to be… a giant mecha made and strung together with pieces of junk?
"Fie! Fret not, Baron; our auxiliā have at length arrived to bolster our cause!" In the cockpit, Mr. Leaf Petal used his mouth to pull on a lever, making the amalgamation of metal ram in and shoulder-bash a stupified Yuma.
"Guys, follow me!" Rose yelled as she bolted towards Forgebeemon. "Quick! Use the Restorer Program!" As she took and pointed her Digivice, Isabela and Baron followed in pursuit.
While the lights of the Digivice shined… something happened. The lights all suddenly cut off and with all 3 Digivices with the message: "Error. Glitch Detected."
"What?! Hey, what gives!?" Baron looked at the digivice. "These are supposed to work on even Digimon Gods, right!?"
Dexter's eyes widened as he looked over to a pinned down Asuramon. "...Yuma's also a Restorer…"
Everyone, even Yuma, turned to Dexter as his heightened mind connected what others couldn't see. "We don't know about the true extent of the Restorer Program, but if Digivices are powered by emotions, and the Restorer Program is also part of the Digivice…"
"Y-You think," Isabella gulped, seeing that line of thought. "Yuma's attacks out of anger is preventing us from helping Forgebeemon?"
"It's possible," Dexter stared in disbelief. "Yuma is directly powered by his, being a 4th Generation. It might not be out of the realm that when he attacks, bits of the Restorer Program are already tied to his energy."
"No…" Everyone looked back at Yuma, tears streaming from all of his current faces. "No! Nonononono…"
Suddenly, everyone looked to see Forgebeemon's body flicker and begin to show traces of fading awa—
"Fear Not. Help has arrived."
[Previously.]
Kentaro heard screaming, but this particular one felt familiar.
"Hey, Mr. Knight! We can talk this out! When I wanted to play knights and dragons, I didn't want to be a dragon!" The older teen turned the corner, seeing Calumon running from… Knightmon. No, Kotemon.
The Ultimate roared, slashing his blade with reckless abandon, cutting down bleachers as if they were never there. But Calumon, despite running at the speed of a toddler, was deceptively great at avoiding strikes of a Digimon Species known for their swordsmanship.
But Kentaro saw his chance: he took a card that would— "Watch out!"
Instincts kicked in as Kentaro avoided a swipe meant to relieve his body of its head. Knightmon had seen Kentaro, and by his berserk rage, now focused his attacks on him.
"Kote—mon! You—whoa! Stop! Acck! Oh shi—Come on!?" Kentaro impressed himself: being able to dodge what was likely 7 slashes in the span of one sentence. Granted, he'd prefer NOT to be killed by his own partner.
Calumon was able to shout at him. "You gotta do a barrel roll!" Though, as Kentaro dodged another attempt at his life, he decided Calumon wasn't as sane as he was led to believe.
Unfortunately for him, Knightmon released his blade and used a free hand to backhand Kentaro, sending the taller adolescent to the ground, and letting go of his Digivice as he crashed into a gaming tent.
Some bottles fell on raven-haired teen's head, adding insult to injury but waking him up to see Knightmon, his partner, walking over to him with a blade raised.
There was this foreboding sense that this was the end. Once more, betrayed by a friend… no. This time, he was the one who betrayed Kotemon. If only he had opened up to him sooner, the rookie wouldn't have made such a drastic risk to prove his worth…
"Kotemon, if you're in there," Kentaro began to say. "The truth of the matter was, it was never you who was unworthy of our friendship: it was me. I… I should have let you in… I'm sorry."
And Knightmon slashed downward.
…
…
Kentaro opened his eyes. The blade had cut the ground next to him, leaving a clean line. Knightmon's eyes regained pupils, but they had a look of bewilderment and confusion.
"K-Kentaro? W-What was I?" The Knightmon grunted as he held his head.
The curly-haired teen didn't hesitate, as he got up and hugged his partner. "I am so, SO sorry, Kotemon! I shouldn't have treated you like that!"
The Ultimate stilled… before he returned the gesture. "Oh? Uh, thank you Kentaro. … Treated me like what? I remember… fighting… then a light…"
Kentaro's eyes snapped wide open. Calumon was JUST there. He turned to where he last heard the Digi-Entelechy.
"Calumon…" "Oh! Kazu!"
The little one was there, but now? Hi-Andromon had caught up with them.
"Calumon, come with me. Come on, it'll be like old..." If there was one advantage, Kentaro noticed that Hi-Andromon looked injured.
"Kentaro, say the word!" Knightmon readied his blade. "And I will—"
"Wait." Kentaro stopped his partner before even he realized what he did. Why was he stopping his partner? They actually had a shot at this: Kotemon was now an Ultimate, empowered by his special blade, and the Paladin was injured.
So why? Why did Kentaro hesitate?
{"I-I'm doing fine. L-Listen, I need your help, okay? You're gonna come with me, so I finally get a chance to get to both Taka—"}
The Blue Flare Restorer's purple eyes widened. Suddenly, he knew why he stopped his partner. Just as suddenly, he found himself walking forward without Knightmon.
"Hey," Kentaro raised his hands as Hi-Andromon turned to him, tensing into another fighting stance even with sparks flying off his injured frame. "I… don't mean any harm. Actually, I wanted to ask some questions."
"We don't have time for questions!" Although Kazu tried to sound in control, he could not stop the flinch of pain on his body.
"Then how about an offer?" Kentaro responded. "I… realize that you wanted Calumon to come with you. Even now, you're trying to get him to willingly go with you. That's… kinder than I expected of you. And I'm also realizing," He knew he had to be careful with this next part. "You're trying to save one of your friends, aren't you? I heard what you tried to say to Calumon before Yuma attacked you."
"Tch! Look, this doesn't con—"
"You really didn't want to harm us either. I am sorry for misjudging you as well," Kentaro interrupted, surprising Kazu. The taller teen spotted and picked up his Digivice, before activating the Restorer Program.
Soon, all of Hi-Andromon's injuries were healed under its light. Kazu felt his strength returned as he looked on with shock. "W-What are you doing?" That was a sentiment shared by Knightmon as well.
Kentaro also asked himself that. But, he looked over to Knightmon. The young man realized that being guarded, expecting the worst… also had it's own problems. There was a chance to solve this situation, but it involved doing something Kentaro had never done in years: trusting someone else. "I told you, I want to make an offer: abandon Ragna Lordmon and join us."
The audacity of such an offer made everyone, even Kentaro, pause.
"Why… would I do that?" Kazu asked. However, there was no guard kept up, but honest confusion.
Kentaro subconsciously thanked his father's keen business lessons. "I believe it will benefit you in the long run. You were obviously trying to get Calumon to help you with whoever it is you're trying to save. But Calumon can only Digivolve Digimon," Kentaro picked up his Digivice. "WE are the ones that can undo what the Tyrant corrupted. You've heard what we did to the Wood Titan."
Good, good. Kentaro saw Hi-Andromon's features relax more. "I don't want to fight you, and you've made it clear you don't want to fight us. So let's work together, if your friend is possessed by an Eater, we have the power to free them!"
Kazu frowned. "... My friends… they aren't controlled by Eaters like some of the others… but… if there's a chance the program can work on them too…!"
"You should come back to us, Kazu!" Calumon piped up, ears extending. "I'd love to play with Guardromon again!"
Hi-Andromon looked between Kentaro and Calumon. "I… if Ragna Lordmon sees me betraying him!?" Even a powerful Biomerge like Hi-Andromon feared the Tyrant. How could he not? With his powers, he could see this potential betrayal at this moment.
"You know his focus is on us, not you and Calumon. We in Blue Flare and Xros Heart… we're fighting back. You know this isn't like before. The Tyrant is doing something different now—we can all feel a chance at victory before he pulls off his ultimate plan. But we need your help to do it. Join us, and right the wrongs we've done before!" Kentaro spoke from his heart about that last part. He… hated what he did. Sure, the right path seemed even more arduous, but at the same time? The burden on his shoulders lifted, and he could see it in Kazu. He wanted that same feeling of freedom from expecting the worst in everyone as well.
Hi-Andromon looked away, gripping his fist. He opened his eyes and answered…
[Later.]
"Fear Not. Help has arrived." Noble Pumpkinmon appeared, unbound by magic chains. Without wasting a second, he used his powers to stabilize a dying Forgebeemon.
"Noble Pumpkinmon!?" Baron shouted. "You're free!?"
"I was freed by a new ally," The magical Digimon turned behind him and everyone could see a new pair walking into view.
An older teen, one slightly older than Kentaro, who walked beside him. On his other side, was a Guardromon while Calumon rode atop his spiky brown hair.
"You!?" Dexter took a fighting stance before Kentaro moved forward.
"Whoa! Whoa! Guys, it's alright! He's with us now!" Kentaro said.
"Wait, he is!?" Isabella and the others could only gape at the realization that a Paladin was now on their side.
Kazu walked ahead and gave Calumon over to Kentaro before looking at Forgebeemon. "That's a mechanical Digimon, right? Leave healing her to me and Gaurdromon," He took his Digivice, before taking a card from his deck and swiping it. "Digi-Modify: Nanite Restoration!"
"Let's get you back to a stable condition!" The rust-colored Digimon beside Kazu spoke in a much more mild-manner but pleasant tone, putting his arms forward as he started zapping the body of Forgebeemon. With both Guardromon and Noble Pumpkinmon working together, the fading in the Champion's form halted altogether.
They heard the sound of energy being lifted. When the group turned, they saw Yuma running up to Forgebeemon… before being stopped by Noble Pumpkinmon.
"Please, we don't know how your powers affected her. Conventional healing must not be disturbed if we have a chance at saving her." The Mega delicately told him.
Yuma looked at the unresponsive body of his Queen… his friend. There was no monster that hurt her… just him. Feeling the weight of his own mistake, he fell to his knees and broke down crying.
"Yuma!" Baron said as he went up to soothe the other young teen.
Noble Pumpkinmon frowned… before his attention seemed to move elsewhere. "Ah? I believe I have guests."
They all looked up to where Yuma had accidentally burned the sky. A bright pillar of light shot down and blinded nearly everyone in the area. When it died down, Kendogarurumon appeared with Yoshino and Lalamon riding atop of him.
The Beast of Light scanned the area, before his eyes narrowed into slits when seeing, "KAZU!?"
Faster than anyone reacted, the Beast of Light's blades were drawn and pointed into his neck. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't stop you here!?"
"How about several?" Kentaro walked forward.
"Ooooh! Koji!? Is that you!?" Calumon waved.
"Whoa, wait!? Calumon!?" Yoshi's eyes widened as the older Generations recognized the Digimon.
For now, things seemed to have settled down while Yoshi and Koji were brought up to—
"ARRRGGGHHHH!?" A pained cry cut through the settling atmosphere. Everyone turned to Noble Pumpkinmon who revealed his left hand…
… Frozen utterly solid.
"Oh no," The eyes of the magical mega widened with alarm. A second later, he used his own magic to heal the damage, but it was obvious that the pain was nothing to what the sudden ice meant. "No. No! He must have sensed Calumon's power! And his power reached me! That means he can track me now!"
"What are you talking about?" Kentaro asked before a bright light shined from Koji's Digivice.
"... He's on his way here," Koji, usually so stoic and calm under pressure, shared a similar look of barely restrained panic. He showed all what was on his Digivice, a symbol similar to his but pale blue. "The Titan of Ice, Ancient Megatheriummon."
[Days later. Location: ?]
"So," a Digimon Janitor looked over to his coworker. "What are you gonna do when the gate to the human world opens?"
"Well," The rookie responded. "I wanna go somewhere tropical! Did you know in the human world, beaches aren't actually filled with predators?"
"You're kidding."
Before their conversation could continue, they both heard a loud, clanging noise at the same time their floor shook.
"What was that!?" One of them asked before heading towards the sound.
Down the hallways, light suddenly cut off. But the back up generators kicked in, painting the hallways in dimmed red light.
Yet… it felt as if someone had painted the entire building in blood.
"Hey!? Mametyramon! What's going on down there!?" The rookie called out to one of the Ultimates patrolling the area. He and his pal saw the small Digimon go in that area just a minute before.
However, all they got was an eerie silence.
"Mametyramon?" The rookie gulped as he stepped forward. "Y-You there? This isn't funny! We can't work like this!"
ᵗᵃᵖ
"Hey," The other rookie stepped forward. "Did you hear that?"
ᵗᵃᵖ ᵗᵃᵖ tap.
"I think I hear it. Sounds like… footprints? Is Mametyramon heading this way?"
Tap tap TAP.
"Hey," The second one suddenly had this overwhelming urge to RUN. However, an even stronger feeling overrode that: FEAR. "Is it… getting louder?"
TAP TAP TAP.
Suddenly, they saw it, beyond the corner: faint lights of green and blue among the red light of the hallway.
"We should… go." The first rookie tried to say, but try as he might, his legs refused to listen.
Their bodies knew what their minds hesitated to conclude: they were already dead.
IT turned the corner, eyes of cold glowing green with deathly pale blue claws…
The two rookies didn't even get a chance to scream before their bodies were utterly erased, denied even the eternal death cycle. They were dead the moment his eyes fell on them.
… "I sense you here…" Snatchmon uttered scanning the hallways deep inside the Digimon he infiltrated.
The Lord Knight's eyes glanced downward, sensing a suppressed power. "It seems fate despises you as much as I, giving me the chance to kill you once more… Demon Lord of Envy."
[Snatchmon 's Current Location: King Whamon Prison.]
[?]
In the South, the Earth rose and crumbled, the Titan of Earth stalked towards the last sanctuary in the sky.
In the East, blizzards cast by the Titan of Ice bury forgotten junk. The hulking catastrophe attracted by the light of Digivolution hidden in a carnival of whimpering hope…
In the West, a rag-tag group of filmmakers prepare for their (likely) last show against the incoming Titan of Thunder.
And North? Oh my. The seas swirl against the living city, but they do not fear the incoming Titan of Water, even though they will. No, the Lord Knight of Ambition, Snatchmon has found his prey… and perhaps… a new target for his battle lust.
All the while, deep in the tower—the mark of his rule over the Digital World—Ragna Lordmon stills, akin to the calmness before the cataclysm.
He opens his eyes. "Titans, hear my voice. I decree: DESTROY XROS HEART."
His voice reaches them even now, the very will of the Digital World, chained to his desires.
In the meantime, a young boy at the north, trapped in his dark cage… feels his heart ache. He can't help but feel an impending tragedy the likes even the older Generations have not yet seen.
Will it come to pass?
[Author Notes]
AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY FAILSAFE! Man, I wanted to add more to the birthday chapter, but uhhh, life. But seriously, it means a lot to me that this story has a record of 20-ish chapters in 1 year for an Syoc! How amazing is that!? I know my story here in Digimon is… not as big as the other SYOCs, but I admit that this is a passion project that I really want to give my all for.
Thank you all for supporting this story, even if it's a little. I genuinely love the story of Arshan and Coro and I truly do want to share it with all of you.
But to really show off how thankful I am, I'm putting a future scene: one that I've been planning to put in the later chapters. I thought I would be able to add it in here, but the timing didn't quite fit.
However, it's too amazing not to include it as a special birthday present and thanks to you amazing readers!
[Future Event?: Coro and ? VS Snatchmon!]
"... You reacted to that? A rookie... no... you're like him aren't you? A Defeated God given a second chance?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Coro feels it, the creeping chill down to his very core. He knows... he can't beat this guy, even with Mega Level. "But I'm not letting you hurt my friends!"
Instincts shriek and Coro backflips to avoid a trail of light created by Snatchmon's glowing claws. Already, the fire rookie is using Petit Flame to form his fires into a staff. Snatchmon swipes at the rookie, his speed faster than the light that chases after his claws. Coro is avoiding all by pure instinct and honed training he doesn't fully understand nor can take time to question. There's an opening for Snatchmon as he lifts his leg to side kic—
!?
Snatchmon realizes a feint too late as Coro twists his body and launches his staff the second the Lord Knight changes form. The purple champion barely avoids the stab to his torso. Yet, there's more! Coro's footing is odd before the fire rookie braces and turns the stab into a swing, smashing it into Snatchmon's torso and batting him into the wall with the fire staff.
With strength betraying that of a simple rookie, Snatchmon crashes through the thick Digimon walls as Coro twirls his fire staff and takes a fighting stance. Even with the first clean hit, Coro knows that he did nothing to his opponent.
"... Ha..."
The dust settled; Snatchmon was sprawled on the debris of the broken wall before his face lifted, eyes shining brighter than before.
"One of the Olympos 12! The first pantheon slain by my Lord!"
Coro was confused, but hearing Olympos 12... it felt... odd?
"Ha...haha...HHAHAHAHA!" Snatchmon laughed as he jumped back to standing. Coro's eyes widened before the purple Digimon attacked him once more, with somehow greater ferocity than before! "The Demon Lords, drunk with power, could only flail their attacks at me with all the elegance of a decaying corpse! You? Even dead, your warrior spirit and form remain! Not even a breath is wasted, and it appears the Digital World is desperate, granting you some of your lost power in such a pathetic form!"
The fire rookie ignored the words, focusing only on the movements as he avoided and parried the blows before he saw a pattern—no! Coro barely had enough time to stop the claw swiping at his right. Instead, he punched not the claw but the wrist. The interception did not work, the strength of the swipe enough to send him further back into the cell halls, but better knocked away than torn into pieces.
The Digimon in those cells gaped in awe as they witnessed the Lord Knight that had crashed through their cell.
"Yes! Yes! Killing the old gods was not enough to achieve my ultimate form!" Snatchmon stepped forward as he raised a claw outward, pointed at the Digimon within the cell. "Fusionize."
Several Digimon screamed as energy shot out from Snatchmon's claws and stabbed into them. If that was not enough, their data transformed against their will, combining to create a trident of energy and screaming Digimon. Coro was horrified at such a cruel and painful display of power. But that was a mistake!
This time, Snatchmon met Coro, staff versus trident. Attacks and evasions bulleted past each other, but Coro knew he wasn't gonna win, especially as he recognized his opponent still holding back!
"The Demon Lord disappointed me! But you, Olympos? Show me the apex of your strength! Show me the path to becoming the Ultimate Digimon!" Two fast strikes followed by a spin swipe knocked Coro's fire staff out of his hands. Snatchmon twisted his trident and stabbed forward into Coro's face—
"HYAH!?" Coro leaned backward, throwing all his body weight and kicking the spear after it nicked the surface of his gem. The blow on the spear imbalanced Snatchmon as he felt his weight shift upward while gripping the weapon. Coro landed on his upper paws and then pushed off the ground with force to deliver a flying drop kick into Snatchmon—
Snatchmon braced the blow and grabbed Coro's left leg. In a whip-like motion, Snatchmon threw Coro through several concrete walls as if they were all made of paper.
Coro grunted as he tried to get back up. His head buzzed, but he knew something was wrong as he forced himself up and kicked off, avoiding Snatchmon from slamming his foot down on his head.
The fire rookie tried to take a fighting stance but his body didn't listen, falling as he failed to do so, and looking up to see the purple Digimon.
"Yes...! YES! Even in our weakened forms, I feel the thrill Lord Chronomon speaks of! A master of the power you wield!" Snatchmon walked forward. "Now, how do I make you reach your old power? Perhaps slaying your partner?"
Coro's eyes narrowed into slits when he heard. "Don't... YOU DARE TOUCH ARSHAN!" The lion cub roared as he forced himself up through the pain.
"I am not allowed to slay the 7th Generation," Snatchmon fiddled with his claws. "But I knew there was a bond between you and your partner, so threatening him would rile you up. Now..." Snatchmon took another fighting stance.
"Show me your—" "Lightning Paw!"
Snatchmon leaped back as thunder smote the ground he was on a second ago. The dust settled, and Uver appeared with anger across her face. "Bastard!"
"Oh, it's you Beast of Envy. You've lost my interest," Snatchmon motioned the black champion away. "I wish to fight the Sun God now."
"You think you can beat me up, and just ignore me!?" Uver snarled as her body crackled with energy.
Sangomon, who was above, chased after Uver after leaving her. She looked down and saw Coro and Uver standing against the Lord Knight.
Snatchmon rolled his neck, making visceral cracking noises as he did so. "I am in no hurry to finish my lord's task. Come, Failed Gods, show me the past Apex of the Digital World!"
Uver and Coro shouted before rushing at the Lord Knight.
[End]
[Author Notes]
Thank you all! And Here's hoping for another year of Failsafe!