"WHAT THE HELL?"
Komet snaps her eyes open and quickly sits up, all soaked in cold water. In front of her, Bancho Lilimon holds a bucket that was just emptied.
Lua, also waking up for the same reason, does a kick up while scowling. "'What the hell' indeed! What's wrong with you guys?"
"An effective way to quickly wake someone up. Now, move your asses, we need to leave ASAP! The D-Brigade is making moves for a big operation in the metropolis. You have five minutes!" Bancho Lilimon turns around and leaves the room with the bucket.
Komet groans and lies back on the floor. "I hope it's more because of Volcanicdramon than because of the mess from yesterday"
"Volcanic-who?" asks Lua
"Oh, right, I didn't tell you guys. Yesterday Anpu told me the possible reason why Quettas is in lockdown. Something related to a Digimon called Volcanicdramon, a monster who devours whatever they consider 'garbage data' to 'not overload this world with useless data' while it grows at a reasonable rate"
"You better not make it a long backstory lore, because we have to leave soon!"
"There is no shame in admitting you despise listening to long stories in general, Lua" says Sonne, standing up while taking the excess of water out of his hair
"That's not always true! I always love to hear Komet talking, okay?"
"Don't worry, I'm keeping it short already. Anpu is not sure of what the rulers of the Digital World considers 'garbage data', but that doesn't matter for us. This monster lives deep under Quettas because of the huge data flow that falls in Central Network Palace, which is the main source of data of this world or something. It's also because of this data flow that Quettas is the biggest city in the Digital World. Gee, even the name reflects that! A quettabyte is, like, ten to the power of, what, 30? Anyway, it seems Volcanicdramon's been consuming infected data, which is causing some disturbances in the monster, but not infecting it… Yet" says Komet
"Wait, if this is true, then that means the Angel Army is locking everyone here while something very bad can happen! I thought evacuating was common sense in that scenario!"
"Are you surprised that they lack common sense?"
"Is that it? The Angels are putting lives in Quettas at risk?" says Bancho Leomon, who stands at the door.
"Short answer, maybe. Long answer, I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case"
"Why would you care, Leo? It's not like most of the citizens care anyway. If Cherubimon said 'it's gonna be okay', then these single-celled dumbfucks answered 'yAy, it's gUnNa bE oKaY' despite the shitshow" huffs Bancho Mamemon, who is also at the door.
"Since when does that stop me from doing justice for those poor stupid morons? I don't care if we are talking about one of the Three Archangels, if they are really doing shit, then I'm opposing them" says Bancho Leomon, punching his open fist
"Hey hey hey, focus boys, don't forget that we first need to take the small fries to CNP. It's even possible that we need to retreat after that" says Bancho Lilimon
Bancho Mamemon points his bat at Bancho Leomon. "Lilie is right. This operation is probably to hunt our heads. Since the BAN-TYO is not complete right now, we will NOT FIGHT for victory yet, understand?"
"Since when you are the leader?" asks Bancho Leomon
The bancho pea just jumps and whacks him on the head, making the lion flinch and whimper in pain. Lua laughs while Komet grimaces.
Sonne facepalms and sighs. "I still have my doubts regarding their ability to help us succeed in this mission…"
"Uuh… Don't worry, if they are like that and yet survive countless battles, then we're gonna survive this too" says Komet, giving a nervous thumbs up. "It's not like we have a choice anyway"
Bancho Lilimon approaches Team Twilight and gives them bread. "Eat this now, we are leaving after those two idiots are done"
Komet shoves the bread in her mouth, quickly eating it. While Sonne and Lua eat their breakfast, she calls Anpu, who quickly answers it. "We are heading towards Central Network Palace now. I'll warn in advance that this will not go smoothly. It seems they called reinforcements, so we need to be extra careful now"
"Understood. I've contacted the Central Area Anubismon. He is ready, waiting for the moment. Call me back when you are close to entering the data flow, then follow the instructions it will be given to you. I'll remind you that the chance to lose your team to the Dark Area is high, which is why the help of a second Anubismon is so important" says Anpu
She swallows hard. "I'm aware. Even if the chance to succeed is as low as 0.1%, we'll not turn back. We must return to our world ASAP"
"Worry not, we'll use all our energy to guarantee that you return safely. I'll be alert and ready to answer immediately. I wish you luck." Anpu waves and the hologram disappears.
As soon as the call ends, Sonne grabs both Komet and Lua by their waists and carries both on his arms, following the BAN-TYO. Bancho Mamemon carefully checks around. "Clear. Follow me!"
The big group is finally out again, carefully walking through many alleys and avoiding the surveillance cameras. This time, Komet looks around to have a better view of the city: a lot of tall buildings, shops everywhere and people minding their business. She even smells the scent of coffee, which makes her disappointed, because she can't get some right now. She would feel like she's in Soutriver if it wasn't for the fact that a lot of Commandramon and Hi-Commandramon are marching around. Sonne finally places both girls on the floor, since they have to lie low because of the intensity of D-Brigade activity.
Bancho Lilimon grits her teeth. "Okay, now what?"
Lua frowns. "This is a whole lot of them, huh… Can we really do something without being noticed?"
"We could, if we could hack the cameras again… But obviously we are not getting back to the entrance for that. Also, at this point they are probably expecting another attack like that" says Komet, shaking her head.
"We break into two groups. One guiding Team Twilight to CNP and the other making a mess in Quettas to catch their attention!" says Bancho Leomon
"Oh wow, Leo can have useful ideas sometimes! But who is gonna take the small fries? Hell no I'm gonna do the boring part" says Bancho Lilimon
"I will"
Bancho Mamemon looks at him in surprise. "You? Offering to do it yourself? Did I hit you on the head that hard? I didn't mean to cause brain damage!"
"I'm not complaining" says the bancho flower
"Hold on!" says Komet, standing between the bancho trio. "Won't this be suicide? You already said you won't be confronting the police because you'll clearly be overpowered!"
She smiles. "Thanks for the worry, but it's better if you keep it to yourself. We know this metropolis better than anyone else! We won't face them directly this time. Just making a mess is also fun!"
"It's decided then! Lillie and I will find you in CNP. Don't fucking die on us, understand?" says Bancho Mamemon, running off with Bancho Lilimon.
"Same for you! Ahaha!" says Bancho Leomon
Komet frowns in worry.
Sonne looks at the fellow lion. "I would like to ask you a question, Bancho Leomon. You seem to be the most eager to enter a fight as soon as the chance arises. However-"
"Why did I decide to take you there? You said some stuff that made me want to have a little chat with Cherubimon if I get the chance"
"Okaaay, then what?" asks Lua
"Then depending on the answer, my blade will do the talk!"
"As long as you are careful," says Komet. "Don't let the impulse dictate your actions"
He pokes her with his elbow. "You are almost sounding like you are a member of the BAN-TYO, you know? I'm sure Lilie would love to have you as her friend!"
They hear an explosion somewhere behind, then they see most of the soldiers running towards the mess, leaving only a few of them guarding the streets.
"That's our signal. Follow me" Bancho Leomon turns around and runs, and Team Twilight follows him.
"So, you're worried about them doing those crazy things, right? Now you know how we feel when you do the same!" says Lua, smirking.
Komet scowls with a smile. "You will get back at me whenever you have the chance, won't you?"
Lua laughs while Sonne chuckles. Then the group goes through narrow streets and alleys for some time, successfully avoiding the D-Brigade.
"How close or far are we from the Central Network Palace?" asks Komet
"Nice moment to ask!" says Bancho Leomon. They go around the corner, arriving in a more open and calm street. The place has fewer buildings, and far ahead of them, they see a beautiful and colorful column flowing like a cylindrical waterfall, but way slower than water. Bits of data fall from the sky, along with chip circuit-like lines, which glow in blue or green.
"Hey, look! That's more beautiful than I expected! But it's still so far away… Also, where's the 'palace' part of that thing?" asks Lua
Bancho Leomon shakes his head and shrugs. "Maybe it was a palace at some point, no idea. But that place is actually a big central square, and boy that square is big!"
"No time to waste, let's keep going!" says Komet
The bancho lion nods and keeps guiding them. The journey goes very well, so well that it concerns Komet. All she can do is to hope that it's just in her head and that the other two banchos are safe.
It's been three hours since they left their hideout. They stop in an alley next to a park and rest. Bancho Leomon tells them to wait while he goes somewhere.
"Just how big is Quettas? It's taking so long! It would be so much faster if we could just run or fly across the city… Now I get why it takes so long for Komet to commute to home" says Lua
Komet looks ahead. She sees the data column much closer now.
"Your heartbeat is accelerating, Komet. I assume you are getting nervous" says Sonne, approaching her
"I can't believe we are almost there after so long… I thought I would be calm, or excited even, but instead…"
"I think it's the same reason why you got nervous when you came to the Digital World for the first time. It's been so long since you left in your world that you don't know what to expect anymore. After all, it was kinda chaotic already. Everything is unpredictable now" says Lua
"Perhaps…" She looks at her own hands, which are shaking a bit. She shoves them in her pockets, sighs and looks towards the column again. "Not much I can do about it. Anyway, now that we are closer… Is it me or can I really see some bits of Corrosion Virus flowing along the rest of the data?"
While Lua squints, Sonne confirms it. "Your eyes do not deceive you, thus Anpu's theory regarding Volcanicdramon might be correct"
"Are we gonna be okay going inside this…?"
Before she can get an answer, the trio hears a clash right behind them. Komet whips her head towards the noise and sees Bancho Leomon holding his jacket wide open, shielding from a blade attack aimed at her. The attacker, who now jumps away, is a fully armored lizard wearing something that looks like night vision goggles.
"Did you really think I didn't notice you coming, Sealsdramon? Selection-D is really going downhill with their methods to properly train an assassin, huh?"
They just hear breathing under the mask.
"The real surprise though is that your target wasn't me, but her" he says, pointing at Komet. Then, he cracks his knuckles. "Explain your priorities, then I'll kill you"
"Glad you asked, Bancho Leomon" says Sealsdramon, their voice distorted and muffled because of the mask. "In fact, since I've failed, I'd like to make a deal with you, with all the BAN-TYO present in Quettas today. Hand her over, and we will grant your group the chance to leave Quettas unharmed"
He raises one eyebrow in surprise. "A chance to let us go just because of her? What the fuck?"
"She is a threat to the Digital World. She's the cause of the Corrosion Virus"
He looks shocked, but swings his sword at the assassin anyway. "Shove that deal up your ass, she is one of us"
Sealsdramon dodge and communicates with someone, then looks back at the delinquent. "By choosing to protect the fiend, the Infection, we increased the danger level of the BAN-TYO"
"Thank you!"
While Bancho Leomon fights against Sealsdramon, many Hi-Commandramon appear from the other side, blocking the exit. Sonne and Lua get ready for battle, while Komet summons Minervamon's shield.
"We don't have time for this! Just follow me!" says Bancho Leomon.
Komet looks behind her back and sees that he has already defeated Sealsdramon. "Sonne, Lua, let's go!"
The Hi-Commandramon launch their grenades, but thanks to the bancho lion, they escape the area. Then, they hear Cargodramon flying over them, heading towards Central Network Palace, while other members of the D-Brigade shout for people to go inside their homes, declaring public calamity.
"What the fuck did you do, girlie? Corrosion Virus?" asks Bancho Leomon
Komet grunts. "They accuse me of infecting the other Digimon with Corrosion Virus. I have nothing to do with that, but they refuse to listen"
"If I knew you were in their most wanted list earlier, more wanted than the BAN-TYO itself…"
She grits her teeth. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"
"...I would have found your group earlier to invade Quettas sooner! This is so exciting!" He punches his open fist.
Komet looks at him incredulously, while Sonne facepalms.
The delinquent changes to a serious expression now. "You don't need to worry about their allegations. We already trust you, so you will have our backs until we're done here! Now, let's hurry up, they are already surrounding CNP."
The rest of their journey through the city goes faster, but more dangerously, since they've been spotted. With so many shots fired and grenades thrown at them, Komet is impressed that they are still fine and surviving. "When Floramon said they were amazingly strong and knew everything from here, she wasn't kidding. We wouldn't make nearly this far if it wasn't for them…"
Despite that, Komet and the others are very well aware that the real challenge lies ahead, where a huge number of Commandramon, Hi-Commandramon, two Tankdramon and a Cargodramon wait. Currently, they lie low in one of the alleys, while Central Network Palace lies a few meters away from them.
"How are you gonna find Bancho Lilimon and Bancho Mamemon? Rather, how are they gonna find us?" asks Lua
"When the action begins, they will hopefully show up!" says Bancho Leomon
"'HOPEFULLY'?"
While they talk, Komet calls Anpu, who immediately answers the call.
"We are very close to the data flow, but the police are there in big numbers. We're gonna try to access the area, but I can't guarantee we will succeed right away. How do we proceed?" she asks
"I'll call Anubismon from the Central Area right now. We will be on the line, waiting for your signal" says Anpu
"Understood. There's also another problem… The data column… We can see some bits of infected data flowing down. How can we pass that without getting Sonne or Lua infected?"
"Do not worry about that. The flowing Corrosion Virus is very diluted thanks to the Angel Army constantly working to control the damage. So as long as you're not deeply wounded, it shouldn't be a problem for you"
"So I 'only' need to worry about the police and the Angel Army. Great"
Anpu giggles. "I'm ready. Alert me when you are about to enter the flow"
"I will"
Komet looks around the corner again. There are too many grounded forces armed with grenade launchers or rifles.
"We must do an aerial approach" says Sonne
"Yeah, I agree… We need to engage as little as possible and focus on getting there" She turns to him. "Are you ready?"
He nods. So she transfers data from Sonne to the storage on her smartwatch, reverting him back to Firamon.
Bancho Leomon's eyes widen in shock. "The fuck? Can you simply remove evolutions by touch? You are dangerous as hell, aren't you?"
"Ah! No! It doesn't work like that! I can only do it with my friends" says Komet
"Eh, even if it was possible and you did it to me, I'd just beat the shit out of you and grow back to this form" he says, flashing an overconfident smile.
"Ahm… Anyway…" She and Lua mount Sonne. "We are ready to go"
"So here we go!"
Bancho Leomon leaves the alley and runs head-on towards Central Network Palace, not caring about all the rifles pointed at him. Sonne spreads his wings open, but when he is about to take the skies, a big creature - almost three times the size of Bancho Leomon - lands in front of the delinquent lion. The creature resembles a mix of a bunny and a jester, pink in color. The Digimon smiles sympathetically, but something tells Komet that sympathy is not something the monster will have for them.
Sonne flinches and grits his teeth.
"What the heck? Where did they come from? …Huh, big puss? Is something wrong?" asks Lua
He frowns. "This Digimon… I believe you can also feel his presence emanating a strong light aura… I can feel it, he is one of the Three Archangels"
"Wait, is that giant clown-looking plushie Cherubimon?"
Sonne shivers. Komet feels a chill going down her spine and Lua gets more annoyed. They look towards the Archangel.
"Hmm…" Cherubimon looks at both sides, trying to spot something. Then he looks at Bancho Leomon, and speaks in a very soothing voice. "Where are they?"
He points his sword at the archangel. "I'm here, right in front of you"
"Not you. The Infection and her companions, Lekismon and Flaremon"
"Tch, am I that irrelevant in your eyes? Fine, I'll tell you if you answer my question"
"Sure"
"What the hell are you thinking locking everyone in this city when a big monster is getting infected right under our feet? What if everyone gets infected in the process? What if this city just goes 'BOOM!'?"
"The majority is in accord with this. They trust we have everything under control"
"Is this your answer? They don't care, so you don't care either?"
Lua pokes Sonne. "Let's go, big puss, they are distracted! It's our chance!"
He nods. But when he is about to fly, he whips his head left, then right. He shakes his head, looks around the corner and gasps.
"Sonne…? Are you alright?" asks Komet
"W-we have been spotted!" he says, sounding scared
Lua looks around the corner, and sees Bancho Leomon still questioning Cherubimon. "No, we haven't! Leo is still distracting the stupid angel. Just fly already before they get tired of talking!"
Sonne feels unsettled but nods, and finally flies away from the alley. But as soon as he goes over the buildings, Cherubimon quickly flies towards them and stands in their way.
"About time you decided to stop playing hide-and-seek, Valiant Sun. Now, as I said, hand me the human, and I shall forgive you for your sins"
"Never" growls Sonne
"'As I said'? When did you say anything?" asks Lua
Cherubimon ignores her and sighs. "Will you really turn your back on your world and side with her, the very creature who intends to bring doom to the Digital World, the very world that you were created to protect with your life?"
Sonne keeps growling and doesn't answer.
"If only Seraphimon was the one here to solve this issue in another way. But at least you brought her, so this shall be the end of your duty. Thanks for your service, Valiant Sun"
Cherubimon materializes a spear made of electricity in his right hand. Sonne tries to fly away while in shock, but the Archangel just calmly aims at him while blocking his way. When he is about to hurl it, something explodes on his right arm.
"What are you fucking waiting for? Just go, dammit!"
Komet and Lua look towards the voice. It's Bancho Mamemon, on top of a building, readying another baseball to attack. On the ground, Bancho Lilimon joins Bancho Leomon, and together they attack the D-Brigade.
Sonne looks at Bancho Mamemon and then back at Cherubimon.
"Go, Sonne!" yells Komet
The Firamon snaps out of the shock and flies towards the data flow, but despite his efforts, Cherubimon quickly recovers and blocks his way again, making another spear of lightning. He dodges the attack.
"Dark Arrow!" Lua fires stakes of darkness at the archangel, but he seems unfazed by the attack, despite being his weakness.
At the same time, a Cargodramon flies closer to the trio, and the Commandramon inside the tiltrotor monster fire at them. That causes Sonne to retreat back to the tall buildings of the metropolis and hide between them.
Komet grits her teeth. "Sonne is still too slow, you two can't damage Cherubimon and I'm just a sitting duck… The BAN-TYO is on the battlefield, so we need to think of something quickly, before something bad happens to them. They won't retreat until they are done with the job"
"My apologies" says Sonne
Komet frowns. "You don't need to apologize, you're trying-"
"NO!" He breathes in and out, then sighs. "Apologies again… The truth is that Cherubimon is tormenting my mind. It seems he is capable of communicating with me telepathically…"
"Are you… Afraid that the stupid angel-clown will take over your body or something…?" asks Lua
Sonne lowers his head and whimpers.
She looks shocked. "Is big puss really scared? I'll make Cherubimon pay for it!"
Komet pets Sonne's mane, looking worried. "There's a monster in your mind disturbing you, huh… Don't worry, as soon as we get back to my world, this won't be an issue anymore"
"Apologies, but I do not know of a way to block his communication while trying to reach our goal…"
"About that… I just thought of a plan that will solve all of our issues, but I'll sound a bit insane this time…"
"'This time'? You really need to reevaluate your idea of insanity if you think you're perfectly sane the other times!" says Lua
"...but I'll only execute it if you three agree with that, of course"
They both listen to it, swallow hard and nod. They don't have time to waste.
Komet and Lua mount on Sonne again. This time the lion does his best to focus on the flight and ignore the voices on his head. He flies between the buildings, heading towards Central Network Palace again. As soon as they reach the square, the Commandramon inside Cargodramon fire at them, but they stop as soon as they realize that they will hit Cherubimon, since Sonne is flying right towards the archangel.
"Have you decided to answer my call? Will you hand the human over?" asks Cherubimon, opening his arms
"As you wish!"
As soon as they get close enough, Lua throws Komet at Cherubimon's face.
The lass grabs him, gripping very close to his eyes with her claws. "Are you enjoying tormenting Sonne's mind? Then let's see if you will have fun with three minds together with one united heart!"
Sonne and Lua become a flow of data and envelopes Komet in a bright light. The ball of light explodes right on Cherubimon's face, making him stagger. Team Twilight, now as Icarumon, jumps away from the archangel.
Cherubimon places his hand on his face and growls. "What is this aberrant monster that stands before me? You corrupted the Valiant Sun to a deeper degree than I thought"
"Keep crying" says Icarumon
"Heaven's Judgement!"
Multiple lightning bolts fall from the skies, even though no clouds are present at the moment. Despite the efforts, one of the bolts strikes her square, making her fall on the floor.
She winces. "Dammit… Cherubimon sure is on a different level…!"
"Team Twilight, can you hear me? My equipment had some interference a few seconds ago, so I assume you evolved to Icarumon, correct?" says Anpu in her head
"Oh yeah, you are still on the line…! But yes, they did, and I'm still having trouble dealing with Cherubimon"
"Your power is not nearly enough to beat Cherubimon. Whatever is going on there, focus on heading to your world now. Remember, in that form you have limited time. Do not let anything distract you, it's now or never!"
"Understood"
At that moment, Icarumon dodges a plunging attack from Cherubimon with his lightning spear. She does a kick up and starts flying again, then she quickly glances behind her back to see how the banchos are faring, but to her shock, D-Brigade is close to neutralizing them. She frowns and wonders if Cherubimon's previous attack hit them as well.
"Time tics against you now. Focus on heading to your world…"
The Tankdramon approach the delinquents, ready to finish them off, if possible.
"No, I cannot abandon them. All three agree with that! We have their backs, so they have our backs too! Daedalus Feathers!"
Icarumon turns around and launches a volley of explosive feathers near the banchos, exploding on the D-Brigade who were near them. She looks at her wings and notices that she used a fair amount of feathers already. "Tch, I might have overdone it a bit…"
But it's worth it. The delinquent trio get up and look at Icarumon.
"Nice evolution, mates! I guess you're not as bad as I thought!" says Bancho Mamemon
"Keep them mad!" says Bancho Lilimon, raising her fist
Cherubimon suddenly appears behind Icarumon for a surprise strike, but since she already expects it, she easily dodges it by doing a flip ahead. Then she faces the archangel, looking serious and concerned. "Now to deal with him…"
"Absolute Territory!" Bancho Lilimon throws her yo-yo at Cherubimon, wrapping it around his big hand. She pulls him closer to make him lose his balance.
"Thousand Blasting!" Bancho Mamemon blasts Cargodramon with his baseballs, causing the tiltrotor monster to perform an emergency landing.
Bancho Leomon smiles at Icarumon. "You can leave it to us now, go do your thing!"
She nods. "Thank you for everything!" She flies away from them, dodging a lightning attack from the angry archangel.
"Whoever the hell you are now… We are happy that y'all became one of us, even if for a brief moment!" He gives her a thumbs up and jumps towards Cherubimon, readying his blade. "Remember, if you ever need the help of the BAN-TYO again, prove yourselves, and you will have our backs!"
Icarumon finally flies towards the data column while dodging bullets. "Anpu! I'm ready! Approaching the area in 10 seconds!"
"Understood. Due to your current data size as Icarumon, the trip will be more dangerous and turbulent, but we'll make sure you will survive it" says the jackal
"STAY AWAY FROM THAT PLACE, FIEND!" yells Cherubimon
She quickly looks behind her back and sees that he broke free from the banchos and is quickly approaching her. She looks back at the column. "I have to use everything I have now!"
She concentrates and starts accelerating, quickly outspeeding Cherubimon, and soon enough, she enters the column, going straight up against the current. "I'm in!"
She looks back and down, directly at the city that she's leaving behind. First, she sees that the banchos are retreating, pointing and waving at her. Then, she sees Cherubimon angrily shooting lightning javelins at her but missing. Lastly, she notices the reason why the banchos were pointing at her: because of the fire that slowly burns her feathers, she forms a bright, long tail behind her, like a comet rising to the skies.
"We'll combine our powers to protect you. Get ready" says Anpu in her head
Then, two layers of golden pyramid surround her like shields.
"You are entering the Dark Area now"
What were blue skies suddenly become a dark place full of malicious monsters. Like Anpu said, it gets very turbulent. Despite their speed, said monsters attack the shields with full force, and start to make cracks on it. Icarumon grits her teeth, since there's literally nothing else she can do about it.
Anpu says something else, but the voice cracks a lot because of the interference caused by the handful of monsters attacking her. "...need… faster…" The shield cracks more and more, starting to get critically damaged.
She grits her teeth and looks at her wings. There are still feathers left for the last sprint. "We must do it…! Time for some overclocking". She concentrates and burns all of her feathers to get to the max speed possible before the golden pyramid shatters. So she flies. And flies. Then she starts to feel warm and everything starts to get white. And warmer and whiter. Icarumon is slowly losing consciousness, until she feels nothing anymore.
"You are entering the Dark Web now. Welcome home, Team Twilight"