Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ An Absence of Light ❯ A Lesson for Child ( Chapter 15 )

Notes: Sorry for the wait. I needed a break from this story for a while. Updates probably won't be regular, but I am working on it.

 

Chapter 15: A Lesson for Child

 

 

Lee Mayumi took a deep, shuddering breath, and risked yet another glance at the two large eggs.

 

She understood that they contained Digimon, supposedly good ones, that wouldn't attack her when and if they hatched. At least, that was what her husband had claimed.

 

But all things considered, she didn't appreciate being left alone with them. If they did hatch, then she would probably scream. Which might irritate them and drive them to attack.

 

She closed her eyes, took another deep breath…and froze as an ominous cracking sound filled the kitchen.

 

“I'm imagining that,” she whispered, mostly to herself. “It's not really hatching…”

 

But when she opened her eyes, there was a large crack in the closest egg, and it was growing longer by the second.

 

After a brief moment of indecision, she closed her eyes again and tried to block out the continued, louder cracking noises that followed.

 

Without warning, the noises stopped, and she hesitantly took that as a sign that she could look now.

 

The noises had stopped because the egg was no longer whole, and the egg was no longer whole because there was a small, blue and white Digimon sitting amidst bits and pieces of broken egg shell. It blinked slowly, and, much to Mayumi's dismay, noticed her at once.

 

“Hey, Miyako! Is it lunchtime already?” it asked eagerly, hopping to its feet. Then it paused, frowned, and peered closely at her. “Hey. You're not Miyako! You're too tall!”

 

Mayumi slid her chair back a little.

 

The Digimon walked to the edge of the table, sniffing curiously. “Hmm. You kinda smell like Miyako—like snacks…but you can't be her…”

 

Eyes widening, Mayumi resisted the urge to scream. The last thing she wanted to do was remind this creature of food.

 

The Digimon looked around the kitchen, finally spotting the other egg. “Now I remember. Ken brought us here. But then…” A dark look crossed its face, and suddenly the creature nearly doubled in size, its tiny limbs becoming more defined and muscular, and sprouting a small, golden horn on its nose. “He's here. I can sense him.”

 

Mayumi was just thinking of fleeing when the Digimon looked at her again.

 

“Hey, lady. Can I…I mean, may I borrow your sweater?”

 

She ripped it off and threw it at the creature.

 

“Uh, thanks,” it said slowly. Carefully, it slid the other egg inside the sweater and tied the sleeves around its neck, forming a makeshift backpack. Then it leaped to the window in a single bound, throwing a glance over its shoulder at her. “Um…if anyone asks…tell them I bit you, okay?”

 

Mayumi nodded fearfully.

 

Flashing her one last grin, V-mon hopped out of the window, his face hardening into a determined scowl. “I'm coming for you, Millenniumon. And this time, I'll make sure you can never hurt anyone else!”

 

* * * * *

 

Alice could've sworn she felt her heart stop as the towering form of Venom Vamdemon took shape before her. “He's…so big…” she murmured, taking a step back.

 

The Demon Beast spared her only a glance before he lumbered forward, his sights set solely on Mugen Dramon.

 

For his part, Mugen Dramon didn't seem the least bit concerned. “Catastrophe!” he shouted, forming a large ball of black energy between his claws.

 

Vemon Vamodemon grinned wickedly as he charged, his pounding footsteps shaking the ground itself.

 

“No!” Alice shouted. “Get out of the way!”

 

But Venom Vamdemon ignored her as he closed in, grabbed Mugen Dramon's shoulders, and forced the Machine Digimon back until he was pinned against the curve of the dark dome. Then a face appeared on Vemon Vamdemon's furry midsection, and its mouth opened wide, sucking in the dark energy ball and swallowing it whole. “Thanks for the snack!” the second mouth chuckled, even as the Demon Beast opened his first mouth and bathed Mugen Dramon's head in a torrent of flame.

 

If Mugen Dramon was anything but annoyed by the attack, he didn't show it. “You,” he said slowly, “are nothing.” The cannons on his shoulders tilted down sharply and fired.

 

Vemon Vamdemon hissed in pain as the twin blasts slammed into his shoulders, and he backed away to assess the damage.

 

Not that Mugen Dramon gave him the chance. The Machine Digimon adjusted his cannons again and fired, this time catching Venom Vamdemon in the chest. He chuckled deeply as the Demon Beast let out a strangled cry and stumbled back at few feet. “Does it hurt? Allow me to put you out of your misery.”

 

Vemon Vamdemon only had time to cross his arms over his chest, wincing as his smoking shoulders protested the action. Then rapid blasts from Mugen Dramon's cannons hit him again and again, sending him crashing to the ground. He was still trying to recover from that when he noticed that Mugen Dramon had formed another Catastrophe and was ready to use it.

 

“You will die in the street like the vermin that you are,” Mugen Dramon promise, launching the dark ball.

 

Venom Vamdemon sat up at once, his second mouth appearing again. “Tyrant Savage!” he shouted, firing a stream of dark power from his second mouth.

 

The two attacks collided in midair, and then veered back towards Mugen Dramon, slamming into his metal chest. But the Machine Digimon's only sign of pain was a grunt.

 

“So you do have some power in you,” Mugen Dramon noted. “It won't be enough.” His cannons shifted and fired, the blast sailing well over Venom Vamdemon's head.

 

“You missed,” the Demon Beast said with a smirk.

 

“I never miss,” Mugen Dramon replied simply.

 

Though Vemon Vamdemon's main facial expression didn't change, the one on his second face did. “Alice!” it shrieked.

 

Alice couldn't move as the twin blasts of destruction zoomed straight towards her. Then she felt strong, furry arms circling her waist, and vanished into thin air just before the blasts hit.

 

She reappeared a moment later, nestled safely in Silver Renamon's arms. “Thanks,” she whispered, but her voice sounded hollow.

 

Ruki could tell that it was more than fear bothering her friend. “What is it, Alice?”

 

The girl shook her head. “Pico…he always protected me before. But…he didn't even try that time…”

 

“He may not be the dominant personality in that form, Alice,” Renamon replied.

 

Venom Vamdemon scowled as he stood up. “That's the last shot you take at Mom. Venom Infuse!” Both of his mouths opened wide, pouring out twin streams of crimson that struck Mugen Dramon with jarring force. But through it all, the Machine Digimon remained standing.

 

“If you're going to insist on drawing strength from your Tamer, at least do it properly,” Mugen Dramon sighed.

 

Venom Vamdemon glared at him. “What would you know about it?! You don't even have a Tamer!”

 

The deep chuckle floated from Mugen Dramon's metal jaws again. “That's different. I don't need one. I don't even need my full power to defeat you, so why would I need a human's aid?”

 

“You talk pretty big, for someone who hasn't won the battle.”

 

“You still exist only because I find your foolishness somewhat amusing. But I warn you: you are starting to bore me.”

 

“And what are you going to do about it, tough guy?”

 

Mugen Dramon's answer came in the form of a loud hum from his cannons. “I am going to delete you,” he answered, “and let your worthless data fade into nothingness. I have no need of it.”

 

“Yeah, yeah. I've taken your best shots, and I'm still here,” Venom Vamdemon pointed out.

 

Mugen Dramon redirected his cannons at his opponent. “You are mistaken. My internal systems indicate that I have been fighting with only a fifth of my total battle power.”

 

The Demon Beast froze. “What?”

 

“You are clearly winded from that mere output, and even now you give pause at this information?” The hum from Mugen Dramon's cannons grew even louder as they began to pulse. “One wonders how you will deal with two fifths, then.”

 

And with that, the Infinity Cannons fired.

 

* * * * *

 

After mopping the floor with his ninth Cyber V-mon, Golden Saint Galgomon came to a bold conclusion.

 

Someone really didn't want him to reach that black dome.

 

And since he was still unable to get a lock on Shuichon's D-Arc, he had to assume that she was being hidden somehow. What better place to hide someone than a giant black dome?

 

The part of him that was Jenrya was most concerned about finding Shuichon, of course. But the Terriermon part argued that the more they stopped to handle evil Digimon, the less likely one of them would be around later to possibly hurt Shuichon. Jenrya couldn't exactly argue with that, since he knew Terriermon only wanted to protect Shuichon. But he still couldn't ignore the dreadful feeling that even if she wasn't currently in danger, Shuichon still needed him. Why else would she have asked him to come home?

 

That, however, was when the Skull Greymon landed in front of them, its oversized skeleton seeming to radiate pure malice.

 

“Oh no,” Jenrya whispered. “We can't fight him here. He could take out a whole city block without even trying!”

 

“I think you mean he WOULD do it without trying,” Terriermon corrected. “So how do we convince him that there's a better place to kick our butt? And that he should wait to do it there?”

 

Unfortunately, Golden Saint Galgomon never got to plead his case. At that moment, the missile on Skull Greymon's back flew into the air, heading straight for the golden powerhouse.

 

“Hey!” a voice shouted. “You need a hand?” A small blue form dropped out of the sky, directly in the path of the missile. With a cry of, “Shining V-Punch!” the missile was suddenly knocked back the way it came, smashing through several of Skull Greymon's teeth and zooming down what passed for his throat.

 

Golden Saint Galgomon had the presence of mind to grab the falling blue figure and hunch over it protectively as a huge explosion rocked the area around them. Only when the smoke cleared did he dare to raise his head, finding no traces of Skull Greymon.

 

“Nice catch, big guy,” said a muffled voice from Golden Saint Galgomon's hand. “But how come you smell like a person?”

 

“It's complicated,” Golden Saint Galgomon replied, opening his fist. “Who are you?”

 

“Name's V-Mon,” the blue Digimon said proudly. He jerked his thumb at the sweater tied to his back. “And this here's my buddy Wormmon…or he will be, when he hatches.”

 

“That…sweater. Where did you get it?”

 

“Oh, that? Off of some skinny lady with glasses. I don't think she likes Digimon too much…”

 

“He's definitely met your mom, Jen-kun,” Terriermon murmured in the back of Jenrya's mind. “That means she's okay! I bet your dad and Shuichon are with her, too!”

 

“Can you take me to her?” Golden Saint Galgomon asked.

 

“Sure, no prob,” V-Mon replied. “But, we really should be keeping an eye out for Ryo.”

 

His eyes widened with alarm. “What does he have to do with all this?!”

 

“You don't know?” V-Mon asked in surprise. “They musta left you outta the loop, buddy. Hope you can listen while you move, cuz we got no time to waste!”

 

Golden Saint Galgomon lifted V-Mon to his shoulder as his back rockets fired. “Tell me everything you know.”

 

* * * * *

 

Nothing had changed since the last time Panjamon had peeked into the room.

 

Shuichon was still flopped across the bed at an angle that made him wince, and Juri was right beside her, holding her tiny hand tightly.

 

Panjamon sighed and closed the door, walking back to the living room where Beelzebumon, Valkyrimon, and Kazu were waiting.

 

Beelzebumon shot them all a glare. “I still say one of us should be out lookin' for the brat.”

 

Panjamon shook his head. “I cannot leave Juri like this. But if I stay, she will only get worse.”

 

“Then we'll go!” Kazu volunteered. “It'll be faster if we search by air, anyway, right?”

 

“No way,” Beelzebumon said at once. “If you ran into trouble, bird boy couldn't fight his best from worrying over you. I'll go. I got nobody to worry about but myself.”

 

“But he's a little kid,” Kazu protested. “If he sees you, he'll scream and run!”

 

“So what? He can't outrun my hog.”

 

“It's bad enough he's out there alone. Do we REALLY need to give him a nervous breakdown, too?”

 

“We ain't got time for feelings, kid. You want him scared or dead?”

 

“Neither.”

 

They all looked up to see Juri lingering in the hallway, looking very pale.

 

“You shouldn't be up, Juri,” Panjamon said at once, stepping in front of her.

 

“I'm strong enough for this, Panjamon,” she replied quietly, placing a hand on his arm. He reluctantly moved aside, as Juri turned her steady gaze on Beelzebumon. “Kazu-kun is right. If Mahi-chan saw you, he might be frightened. You'll have to have something that proves I sent you, or he won't trust you.”

 

“Like what?” Beelzebumon asked slowly.

 

With a faint smile, Juri raised her left hand, revealing her puppet.

 

Beelzebumon stared at her in disbelief, annoyance, and anger all at once. “Oh, HELL no!”

 

* * * * *

 

Venom Vamdemon could only stare as the twin beams of the Infinity Cannons closed in on him. With a resigned sigh, he shut his eyes and waited for the end.

 

“Card Slash! Primary Playtime!”

 

His eyes snapped open, and he looked down to see Alice staring up at him. Suddenly, he felt a great deal weaker, and his body began to collapse on itself just in time. He winced as the beams sailed inches over his head, slamming into the black dome with earth-shaking force.

 

Mere seconds later, Venom Vamdemon was no more. In his place lay two exhausted, wounded Pico Devimon. The pink one came to first, only to find Alice cradling them both in her arms.

 

“Mom?” she whispered softly.

 

Alice shushed her. “Don't try to move, Pinky.”

 

“But…why isn't Dad moving?” Pinky asked, her eyes widening in fear.

 

“He's…just tired,” Alice replied, hoping desperately that she was right.

 

Pinky nudged Pico with her wing. “Dad…?”

 

Slowly, Pico opened his eyes. “Child…has much…to learn.”

 

“DAD!” she squealed excitedly. “You're okay!”

 

Pico winced. “So loud…”

 

“Sorry.” Pinky lowered her voice a bit. “Dad…I'm so sorry I hit you. I didn't mean it, honest! I shouldn't have said…well…you were there…”

 

Pico stared at her for a long moment. Finally, he stretched out his wing and gave Pinky something of an affectionate pat on the head. “Child is forgiven. But she must not forget.”

 

“Neither will I,” Alice added, squeezing them both gently.

 

Pinky grinned. “That was some quick thinking, Mom!”

 

“Thank Ruki. She's the one who gave me the card.”

 

“Um, you can thank me by telling me you're still planning on beating this guy,” Ruki said, staring up at Mugen Dramon. “Because I don't think he's finished yet.”

 

“So what's the plan, Dad?” Pinky asked. “How do we win?”

 

Pico frowned. “This may not be a battle for us to win.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Maybe…we are only meant to survive long enough.”

 

“I think I liked it better when we were winning.”

 

Pico shot her a look.

 

“But your way is fine, too!” Pinky said quickly.

 

“We will fight together…but apart.”

 

Pinky looked doubtful, but she nodded. “Well, okay. If you think that'll work.”

 

* * * * *

 

Masahiko blinked as the bike came to a stop. “Ne-san? What is it?”

 

“Someone is in our way. Stay here, Masahiko.”

 

The boy looked up uncertainly as she got off the bike. He was then able to see a big, black dinosaur blocking their way. Then he looked at Ne-san, who, while pretty tall by human standards, was much shorter than the dinosaur. He swallowed noisily, and then called out, “Be careful!”

 

She threw an appreciative glance over her shoulder as she walked up to the dinosaur. From what she could make out, it was some sort of Metal Greymon…at least, it had used to be. But its skin was tainted black, and instead of claws, it wielded a pair of constantly growling Cyber Dramon heads.

 

“Let me guess. You won't let us go without a fight?”

 

“I am Delta Greymon,” the dinosaur snarled, his two `hands' snapping as he spoke. “And you are food.”

 

She sighed. “Real cute. Get out of my way before I decide to take that personally.”

 

Delta Greymon looked past her, running his tongue along his jaw. “I will hurt you. Then I will eat the human while you watch. And then I will eat you.”

 

The annoyance instantly drained out of her face, replaced by something more sinister. “You threatened my Tamer.”

 

Delta Greymon sneered at her, and opened his mouth to tell her just what he thought of Tamers.

 

He never got the chance.

 

A long, black appendage tore from her dress at the shoulder, lashing out to drive a sharp talon deep into the dinosaur's chest.

 

Delta Greymon offered a small groan as he fell onto his side, twitching uncontrollably.

 

Frowning, she withdrew the talon and eyed the fallen Digimon critically. “You're lucky I just ate. That, and you'd probably just give me the worst case of upset stomach in history.” She raised the talon again, paused, and raised her head. “Masahiko?”

 

“Not looking,” he called back.

 

“Good boy.” She drove the talon into Delta Greymon's neck this time, and did not remove it until the dinosaur stopped breathing entirely. She watched with grim satisfaction as his data scattered to the wind.

 

Masahiko did not look up until he felt her hand on his head. “Was he really going to eat us?”

 

“Lucky us, we'll never have to find out.” She settled onto the bike and was about to start it up when he touched her elbow. “Yes?”

 

“How come you didn't eat him, like the last one?”

 

“Well, the last one was made from three Digimon, but they were all closely related. This one…not so much. Didn't want to risk it.”

 

“Oh.” Masahiko looked thoughtful. “How come you just didn't beat him up and leave him, like Jenrya did?”

 

She paused for a long moment. “He wanted to hurt you, Masahiko. I could never allow that.”

 

“So…if he'd only wanted to hurt you…?”

 

“Then I would've left him, yes.” She did not point out that he would've died from the poison within a few minutes, anyway.

 

“Okay. So long as there's a good reason.”

 

She reached back and ruffled his hair. “Your safety is the only reason I'd ever need.”

 

* * * * *

 

Vamdemon soared into the air, keeping his wary gaze on Mugen Dramon and Ryo as he flew along the curve of the black dome. Any moment now, Queen Vamdemon would join him, and hopefully she wouldn't be as brash as before.

 

But it was not Queen Vamdemon that emerged from the dark portal above Alice's head.

 

Vamdemon came to an abrupt stop as something black rocketed from the portal and halted directly in front of him. He'd hardly gotten over the shock when a cool, long taloned hand grasped his shoulder.

 

“Come, Father,” Lady Devimon whispered in a husky voice. “Fly with me. Let the darkness surround us, and let it blind our foe.”

 

Vamdemon stared into her crimson eyes, and somehow, understood her perfectly. “It will be as you say, my child.” He grasped her hand firmly, and allowed her to lead him in a daring charge at Mugen Dramon.

 

The Machine Digimon's only reaction was to target each of them with a cannon. “Targets locked.”

 

Lady Devimon and Vamdemon spiraled away from each other, each one leaving a living stream of black smoke in their wake. They circled Mugen Dramon several times before speeding away, spewing more and more smoke as they went.

 

His visibility lessened, Mugen Dramon decided to rely on his targeting sensors. They easily pierced through the smoke, but just when he'd found his two foes, one darted out of range, and then the other. It took only seconds to find one again, but for some reason, his sensors identified the target as an Ice Devimon. Then it was gone, and was soon replaced by a Death Meramon, then a Devidramon, and then a Devimon.

 

“Impossible,” Mugen Dramon muttered. “This smoke must be interfering with my sensors.”

 

That theory proved correct, because in the next moment, his sensors detected not one, not two, but fourteen different targets.

 

“Their apparent number does not matter. All will be deleted.” Mugen Dramon formed a giant black energy ball between his claws, even his cannons pulsed with power. “All targets locked.”

 

The instant before Mugen Dramon could fire, there was a terrific crash, followed by a loud cracking sound.

 

“The dome!” Ryo shouted. “Someone is breaking through! Mugen Dramon, finish them NOW!”

 

“FIRE!” Mugen Dramon unleashed all of his attacks, just before a second huge impact slammed into the dome…and broke through, if the shattering sound that followed was any indicator.

 

Lady Devimon emerged near the ground, swooping down to grab Alice before darting back into the smoke.

 

The dark beams slammed into the something, but there was no explosion at all. There was, however, a deafening roar of fury.

 

Alice's eyes widened in surprise. “Was that…Guilmon?”

 

As the smoke began to clear, the towering form of Black Megalo Growmon was revealed, standing just inside the ruined dome wall. His armor was still smoking from the incredible attacks he'd just taken head on, but he looked for all the world to have not even felt it, probably because he was so furious.

 

Ryo glared at the intruder. “Mugen Dramon! End him!”

 

It was not in Mugen Dramon's programming to disobey his creator, so he had every intention of doing just that. The truth was, though, that he'd just fired all of his most powerful attacks at once, and for the moment, attacking again just wasn't possible. It would take him only ten seconds of charging to fire one cannon, and twenty for both, and thirty for another Catastrophe.

 

The problem was, Black Megalo Growmon had crossed the dome in just three seconds, giving no sign that he was about to slow down, either. He crashed into Mugen Dramon with vicious bear hug, driving them both into, and then through the other side of the dome, where they hit the ground a moment later.

 

The impact had interrupted Mugen Dramon's charging sequence, but he still only needed six-

 

“ATOMIC BLASTER!” Black Megalo Growmon howled, his face a mask of doom and triumph.

 

It was not in Mugen Dramon's nature to experience fear of any kind, nor to ever admit defeat. Yet as he stared up into the face of his destroyer, he knew and accepted that his time in the human world had come to an end. There was simply no other logical option, he realized as the huge beam of power hammered its way through his chest and into the ground below, obliterating everything it touched.

 

Black Megalo Growmon stood up and turned around, his eyes instantly spotting Ryo.

 

“You cheated, Takato,” Ryo whispered. “If you won't play by my rules, then there just won't be any rules the next time.” He turned away and vanished into thin air.

 

“Wow,” Ruki whispered, turning to Renamon. “Takato did that? What did I miss?”

 

“Don't feel bad. I was with them, and I didn't know they could do that,” Renamon admitted. “Defeating an Ultimate like that, without even breaking a sweat. It's easy to forget Pico isn't the only rulebreaker around here.”

 

“Well, I'm just glad they're on our side.”

 

Renamon said nothing to that, which Ruki found a little odd.

 

Lady Devimon and Vamdemon touched down nearby. Alice jumped out of Lady Devimon's arms at once and ran up to the rapidly shrinking form of what was now Black Guilmon. “Guilmon!”

 

Black Guilmon turned and smiled at her. “See, Takatomon? Alice isn't hurt at all!”

 

Alice looked past him, where Takato and Kenta were running to join them. Kenta seemed a little out of breath, but Takato ran right past everyone else and swept Alice into his arms. “Takato?” she asked in surprise.

 

“I was afraid,” Takato whispered, hugging her tightly. “I was afraid Ryo would take you away from me…”

 

Alice smiled and returned the embrace. “But he didn't, and I'm fine. Thanks to you, but still…did you really have to use a DigiCore already? Just for me?”

 

Takato pulled back and gave her an odd look. “What?”

 

“Alice, Takato didn't use a DigiCore,” Black Guilmon added helpfully. “We just got mad at the thought of not being able to save you, and then…we got stronger.”

 

“You mean…Guilmon broke through the dome…and deleted Mugen Dramon…all by himself?” Alice asked slowly.

 

“Takatomon helped,” Black Guilmon insisted. “He was mad, too.”

 

“You…you disappeared…after the Reaper,” Takato said quietly. “I don't want that to happen again.”

 

“I…needed a break from it all,” Alice said hesitantly. “But, Takato…how strong are you two, exactly?”

 

“I don't know,” Takato admitted, “but we have to be strong enough. For you, and for everyone else. I think this will be our last easy win.”

 

“I think your definition of easy needs some work, Gogglehead,” Ruki replied, smacking him on the back.

 

“Ruki? What…RENAMON!”

 

“It's always shouting and hugging with you people,” Renamon sighed as Takato and Kenta grabbed her. Of course, she was a lot more appreciative of the hugs when Black Guilmon tackled her to the ground and began eagerly licking her face.

 

* * * * *

 

Next Chapter: Doomdramon

Jenrya finally comes home, only to find his family under attack by yet another of Ryo's experiments.

 

 

Digidex:

Venom Vamdemon: The bigger, badder form of Vamdemon, with two faces and all.

Skull Greymon: An unnatural evolution of Greymon who exists only to fight anything that moves.

Delta Greymon: (made it myself) An improved Metal Greymon with the heads of Cyber Dramon in place of his claws. (named for Deltamon, who also has heads in place of his claws)

Lady Devimon: Piedmon's bodyguard from 02, and Angewomon's rival.

Black Megalo Growmon: Black Guilmon's Perfect/Ultimate form.

 

Primary Playtime: Returns any Digimon formed through Jogress Evolution to their Child form.

 

 

I know most Digimon should be at a certain level when they hatch, but there are occasional exceptions. I tend to think the more powerful a Digimon is, the more likely it'll skip a stage or so when it hatches.