Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon Morphs: A Digimorphs Tale ❯ Legendary Mountain ( Chapter 24 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Digimon / Digital Monsters and all related trademarks belong are copyright to Bandai / Toei animation / Saban entertainment. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission.

Author's note: Also, special thanks to my brother for one of the 'cool situations' in this chapter.

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Legendary Mountain

By nightdragon0 (nightdragon0@hotmail.com)

"Zoe! Come in! Answer me!" Aero yelled into the com-link, slamming his fists against the table. "Damn!"

"Hitting the machine isn't going to make it work." Siavon looked up.

The two were seated at a monitor in one of the underground base's control rooms. Siavon had hooked up Steve's Digivice and sent the information over to Aero's friend, Gold.

Aero however, wasn't one to sit still while the data was being analyzed, so he'd tried contacting Zoe through her Digivice, both vocally and through text messages, using some of the computer systems.

Zoe wasn't answering, and Aero was getting very worked up over it. She might be too busy to answer, or the storm had gotten worse and was causing more interference than before. Or perhaps Zoe just couldn't reply? The possibilities were endless, and none of them good.

"Can't we get a stronger signal?" Aero asked.

"It's pretty strong as it is." Siavon replied.

"Then why can't we get to her? You can reach the Digimetal Knights, and their castle is much further away."

"And they also have better communication equipment, like the computers in this base. The girl doesn't, I'm afraid. She might be able to hear us, but probably not be able to respond."

"Grrr...I hate this!" Aero threw his arms up in frustration.

"You're very worried about her." Siavon leaned over to his side.

"Of course I am!"

"I meant worried in a...deeper sense."

"Huh...I...no. Hey, she's not my girlfriend or anything if that's what you were thinking! She likes someone else for crying out loud!"

"I see, competition?"

"No! I...it's just my fault that dragon is missing right now." Aero hung his head. "I wanted to make it up to her, but looks like I'm only being a burden."

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Darkness....it was all around him. Silent, motionless...an infinite, empty void.

Yet sometimes, there would be flashes, scenes.

It was himself, the dragon, on the hunt. There below was his prey, and he swooped down from the sky like a hawk for a mouse. Only his prey was a much larger lizard.

The victim ran, but it was already too late. The chase was over before it even began. The predator was upon it, latching onto its back, sinking his razor-like fangs into the weakened creature's neck.

Blood flowed freely from the wound as the dying creature struggled in its final moments.

He'd enjoyed it, the hunt. Time now to claim his reward, devouring the victim's limb carcass. Flesh which broke into data for his taking.

More...he wanted more...

And yet, somewhere...something...someone was screaming. Yelling that it wasn't right. He was still fighting, resisting.

NO! Stop this!! STOP THIS!! STOP THIS NOW!!!!

<Damn it kid, I can't turn you into a mindless killing machine if you keep resisting me.> An image of AncientGreymon's face appeared at the edge of his view.

Arrogant...sadistic freak! I...won't have a mind left if you keep doing this to me!!

Enough!! Stop it!!!

<Then, you'll start screaming for me a few minutes later. Can't make up your mind, eh?>

GGGAARRGGHHH!!!!

And what? Let me go on another killing streak once I'm free?! Sekata directed his thoughts towards the ancient dragon.

I would never stoop to the level of an abomination like you!! Never!! NEVER!!!

<Abomination? I'm insulted, my boy. Considering how much we're already alike.>

I am NOTHING LIKE YOU!!!

This was something new. For all of however long he'd been trapped like this, Sekata hadn't heard his tormentor respond that way before. He didn't have much time to think though, as his limited vision broke into a bright flash.

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"This must be the one." Steve said to himself. "The Legendary Mountain where the X-Antibody is located. Just hang on Janet..."

Battling the stormy winds, Steve carefully maneuvered, circling the mountainside. He'd already flown as high up as he could, the gale preventing him from going any more without the danger of the winds smashing him into the rocky walls.

Eventually, he found a sheltered cove and steered towards it, managing the landing with a couple of light bruises.

"Whew, at least that went all right." He gasped, shaking the water off his wings. "What am I saying? I'm cold, soaking wet and have a hard trek ahead. Well, it could be worse..."

The cavern seemed to lead through the interior of the mountain and Steve took a couple of steps forward before landing a foot on a hidden trap.

"WWAARRGGHH!!!" He was suddenly scooped off his feet by a large rope net, which was attached to the top of the cavern. The sudden motion threw him upwards, smacking his head against the ceiling, walls and floor due to the 'spring' effect. "OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! HEY!! What's going on?!"

"Fell for that one again, eh?" A familiar voice laughed.

"What?! Aw no! Not you again!!"

Black WereGarurumon and Dogmon stepped out of the shadows, giving each other high fives.

"We expected to see some other treasure hunters around here, but certainly not the likes of you." The werewolf commented.

"Treasure hunters? You losers? Don't make me laugh!" Steve growled.

"That, coming from the lizard who's hanging upside down."

"Grrr...you...!!" Steve struggled with the net, but the mechanism behind it had pulled it to a secure position on the ceiling. He wouldn't be swinging his way out of the net like he'd done the last time.

"And who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?" Black WereGarurumon continued with his taunting. "Heh, since you're hanging out here, we'll the claiming the X-Antibody...along with a large cash reward."

"Yea! Yea! Yea! Yea!" Dogmon giggled.

"Oh yeah! Just wait till I get out of here! We'll see who gets the last laugh!!" Steve declared, watching the duo depart. "I'll show you!! GGAARRGGHH!!!"

There was nothing else Steve could do at the moment but start gnawing on the rope net with his sharp fangs.

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"Almost there...." The voice panted.

Sekata would've blinked if he could. Instead, his field of vision was moving, as if he were running through the thick forested area ahead. Protruding from 'his' face was a blue snout with a single horn at the end of it.

The view moved, and a blue, scale covered hand came into sight. 'His' hand, so to say. Sekata realized he was merely watching the events through someone else's eyes. He could neither feel any part of 'his' body, nor influence any of its actions.

Whoever's body his mind was in just kept running.

All of a sudden, a series of pillars rose from beneath the leaf-covered ground. Each one fired off multiple arrows, which 'he' first evaded with some leaping maneuvers. He then followed up by drawing a sword and deflecting the arrows.

"Ha, that all?" He grinned, as he made his way through the gauntlet.

At the end of that was a swinging spiked log attached to the trees.

"Whoa!" The warrior dropped to his stomach, barely avoiding being skewered, then rolled forward and continued running.

He dropped into a ditch just as the spiked log swung overhead.

"Yes! Here it is!" He crawled forward to a large brown box nestled amongst the leaves and tore the lock off. Within was a rolled up piece of parchment, tied with a red ribbon, which he grabbed. "It's in the bag! Am I good or what?"

Triumphantly, the warrior climbed out and made his way along the trail. All went well until he emerged into an opening in the forest. At the point, someone pounced onto him from behind, sending him rolling over.

"What the?! Damn you Wein!!" The warrior yelled angrily, realizing his hard earned scroll had been snatched by his attacker.

"Later Rodi!" A Flybeemon waved.

This Digimon was a red colored humaniod insect, the armored form of Hawkmon with the Digimetal of Knowledge. He had two pairs of dragonfly wings and a couple of Hawkmon style feathers decorating his helmet.

Wein chucked a silver ball at the ground which subsequently exploded in a cloud of white smoke.

Rodi? Sekata wondered. So, this is Rodi's memory I'm watching?

It seemed to make sense. Like the one in his 'dream', which he didn't want to think too much about, this Rodi was an XV-mon.

"Gargh!!" Rodi coughed, taking off in hot pursuit. "You won't get away!!"

The chase took them to the base of a waterfall with a wide river. Wein, the Flybeemon, immediately began leaping across a series of stepping stones, the only way across the river.

Not using his wings? Sekata thought.

Rodi was still on his opponent's tail when a third figure burst out from beneath the water's surface.

It was a Renamon, who tossed a breathing pipe aside and sprinted across the water. The two guys hesitated a moment too long, enough for her to drive a spinning kick into Wein's face, landing him in the water with a loud splash.

"Sorry, but the scroll's mine!" She winked.

"We'll see about that Luna! Rargh!!" Rodi spread his wings and broke into a diving tackle, knocking Luna to the opposite river bank.

Wein had managed to pull himself out of the water and was just in time to join in Rodi and Luna's brawl, which ended up tossing the scroll to the side.

All three noticed it at the same time and sprang for it....only the smack each other's heads when the scroll was pulled away.

"Ow! Damn! Who...?" Wein looked up. "Uh...Sensei?"

"Director?!" Luna gasped.

"Hey, erm, dad. What's up?" Rodi said nervously.

Standing before them was a golden armored Wargreymon, clutching the scroll in one of his clawed hands.

"All of you failed the test! Miserably!" The dragon man roared.

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"Rargh! Where is that furry freak?!" Steve fumed. "I'm gonna show him what I'm made of!"

Having finally gotten himself out of the rope netting, Steve had made his way through the cavern and emerged onto a path at the interior of the mountain. He was standing at the bottom of a large crater, where many tall trees were growing. Their branches intertwined so much that the sky was barely visible.

This section was much better sheltered from the winds, and the rain was letting up too.

"Well, seems things might be a little better." Steve told himself as he jogged forward. "I'd better start looking for a way to the summit. Hey, I could just fly up there...GAHRG!!"

Suddenly, a spinning object slammed into his back. It immediately burst into a rope that entangled itself around his upper body, tying his wings and arms down. Steve had barely recovered from the shock before Black WereGarurumon leapt down from the trees above and pulled a straightjacket over him, securing it with a leather strap as well.

"Hey! Get this thing off me!!" Steve struggled in vain, his wings useless and arms stuck as his waist level.

"Just taking care of the competition!" The werewolf somersaulted over a lighter patch of dirt to where Dogmon was standing.

The two Canines had coordinated their trap well, and struck a 'V' for victory pose with their fingers. Utterly outraged, Steve charged forward, stepped onto the lighter dirt patch, and found himself plunging straight into a pitfall.

"WWARRGHH!!"

SPLAT!!

Steve hit the bottom headfirst and rolled over, seeing stars swirling in front of his eyes.

"Looks like ya fell for that too!" Black WereGarurumon taunted.

"Dammit! That's not fair!!" Steve yelled, still struggling with his restrains. The straightjacket was too thick for him to bite through and the strap fastening it to his body was way too low for Steve to reach with his jaws.

"Fair? Haven't ya heard? It doesn't matter how you play the game...it's whether you win or lose!" Black WereGarurumon replied. "Well, see ya at the top...if you make it!"

"Grrrr...you!!! You just wait you son of a b**ch!!! I'm gonna kick your ass with both my hands tied behind my back!! Just wait and see!!" Steve roared despite hearing the footsteps of his rivals departing. "After I...after I...uh...AFTER I GET OUT OF THIS HOLE!!!"

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"But...that's not fair!" Rodi protested. "I had the scroll first!"

"After making a total ruckus and triggering every single trap. Not to mention breaking the test rules and using your wings!"

"But..."

"And Wein, you should've been able to execute a more efficient ambush, considering Rodi's complete lack of stealth." The Wargreymon continued. "Same for you Luna, your breathing pipe was in a very conspicuous position, which these two still failed to notice."

While Wein and Luna stared in disbelief, Rodi stamped up to his father.

"Dad, what's with all the dumb rules?! You think it would be the obvious choice to just fly out of danger?" The XV-mon yelled.

"Flight will not always be an option." His father replied sternly. "Have you learnt nothing from your training?! I don't know why I bother keeping you as a student. The three of you, keep training. And report back to the academy in two hours."

"Grrrr...." Rodi glared at the floor, his fists trembling with rage. "I don't know why I bother being your son!!"

"I expect more of you BECAUSE you are my son." His father called back, taking flight.

"I HATE YOU!!!!" Rodi roared.

"Whoa, calm down man!" Wein grabbed his friend's arm.

"You wouldn't be if you've failed this test six times!!" Rodi panted. "Sorry..."

"This is my fourth, I'm not much better." Luna sighed, dropping into a seating position.

"Fifth for me." Wein nodded.

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"Hmmm...your contact's analysis seems pretty detailed." Siavon commented. "And unfortunately, it also shows that the situation isn't very good."

"What do you mean by that?" Aero walked over to the screen.

"Hazard seems to be running wild, as if it were a virus. However, it is also 'part' of the affected one, being a Guilmon species. So removing the Hazard's effects through any means of antibody programs would be potentially fatal..."

"Oh, that's just great! You just sent one of her buddies up the mountain for nothing! What are we supposed to do about it now?"

"There is still a chance that the antibody will work. Either that or we'd need to design something to 'draw out' the corrupted data. I'm afraid I lack the technical knowledge for...hmm? A message?"

Siavon brought up another window on the screen.

"Follow these details and the device will be able to remove the hazard's effects." Aero read. "A friend of yours?"

"No. And it wasn't sent by the Gold either. But they're the only ones who know we're even here." Siavon commented.

"But who would just send us a bunch of plans like that?" Aero wondered.

Siavon didn't answer, but brought up the attached images onto another screen. Immediately, his eyes widened with interest.

"Whoever sent it, I have to say that they're exactly what we need." Siavon said excitedly.

"It looks like some sort of bracelet to me." Aero scratched his head. "But as long as you think it's alright. Will you be able to build it?"

"It's small and simple enough, so it shouldn't take too long."

"Good, while you work on it here...." Aero stretched his wings and headed for the door. "I'm going out to look for Zoe. I can't leave her out there alone any longer."

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"Whew..." Dynamo closed his laptop and leaned back against the wall of the old train station. "Well, provided they use it properly, that bracelet should have the capability to remove the Hazard's virus form."

Exhausted, he closed his eyes and tried to calm his tense body. Coming up with a novel idea like he'd just done was quite a task, especially under the time constrains.

He'd have to leave soon, however, and wouldn't be around to see the results of his new device.

"Well, if she survives this, I guess I'll see her again." The black knight said to himself.

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"Gargh...yuck...the things I have to go through." Steve was still spitting dirt out of his mouth as he walked.

Trying to climb out of the pit without using his hands had been a daunting task, but by digging his clawed feet into the sides and grabbing hard rocks or tree roots in his jaws, he'd eventually made it out. Of course, with getting entire mouthfuls of soil, plus hurting his butt because of his multiple falls.

His only consolation was that Black WereGarurumon had left a long trail of muddy footprints for him to follow.

"Yeah, these things always happen to me." Steve complained to no one in particular. "It's like there's a bad luck rain cloud hanging over my headd....yargh!!"

At that moment, the Gargoylemon slipped and landed face-flat in a puddle of mud.

"Ow..."

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"Yeah, sucks huh? It's like there's a bad luck rain cloud hanging over my head." Rodi flopped onto his back. "Stupid old lizard! He's always holding me back! Uphold the family name, uphold this, uphold that. Keep this rule, keep this tradition....I wonder if he even remembers I'm his son at times?"

"At least you have some family." Luna turned towards him. "I lost mine a long time ago, to this CHAOS thing. The academy is all I have left now."

"I've heard about that. Some crazy guy was trying to harness its dark power and got possessed. Then they had to kill him." Rodi commented. "But it's gone now, right?"

"I don't know..."

"Still, you never appreciate something till it's gone." Wein added in. "You'd know if you were just abandoned one day like me."

"Yeah, well..." Rodi closed his eyes. "Hey, what's going on back at the academy?"

"I think today is the award ceremony for the warrior cadets." Luna replied.

"Wonderful, another ceremony we'll walk out of empty handed." Wein sighed.

"In that case, why bother going at all?" Rodi beamed. "We're at a waterfall right? And the water's great today!"

"All right!!" His companions cheered, as all three rushed for the water.

<Hahah, that was me when I was your age.> AncientGreymon's voice rang out. <The young, ignorant, rebellious kid who wanted to break free. Sound like a certain someone?>

I...argh... Sekata stuttered.

<Can't admit that's how you were back in your old life? Well, I expected as much. Ironic though, I wasn't even a Greymon myself, and look how I ended up. Still, it was skipping class that day that actually saved our lives.>

What?!

<I'd tell you more, but looks like reality's calling you back.>

Huh? Wait!

Despite Sekata's protests, the scene of the past faded away, bringing him back to his dark, blurry vision. Only now, there was something...someone, nearby.

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"Hey, are you all right? Hey!"

"Gargh! Urgh!!" Zoe sprang up, coughing out water before she was finally able to catch her breath and take note of her surroundings.

"Are you all right?" The voice asked again.

"Yes, thank you." Zoe muttered, turning her head. "Huh? You?!"

Her rescuer was none other than Vija, who'd pulled her out of the river Janet/ Megidramon had previously knocked her into. Zoe was in Paildramon form, but she still backed away in shock.

"You needn't be afraid. I now realize who you truly are." Vija said.

Zoe took a quick glance around the area, noting that they were at the entrance to a small cavern by the river bank, before turning to face the Vajramon.

"What...do you mean?"

"Kaia...you've come back at last..."

"Hey, I'm not this Kaia, whoever...whoa!" Zoe jumped back as Vija reached out for her shoulder. "Stay away!"

"Show me those moves again." Vija drew his sword and thrust forward.

Zoe spun to the side and deflected the blow with her wrist-mounted Esgrima blades. Vija pressed on and Zoe was forced to block several more times before rolling under a final swing and executing a sweeping kick. This time, Vija leapt over the low attack.

"Indeed, your style is the same as before." Vija whispered. "Kaia, I knew you would return one day. Not even death could keep you from me, my love."

Zoe was starting to understand the cause behind the centaur's obsession, but it certainly wasn't the most reassuring feeling.

"Damn! Even if I look like or fight like your late fiancée, I'm not!!" Zoe said, retracting her blades. "I'm not Kaia!"

"Why do you run from my, my love? We've waited so long to be together..."

"Get away!!"

In panic, Zoe accidentally backed herself further into the cavern. It was lit by several lanterns hanging on the walls, their dim light revealing many cloth-covered boxes, small statues and other miscellaneous items around.

Then, something knocked against her back and Zoe felt a cold claw on her shoulder. Screaming, she pulled away, spinning around to find that it was a statue of a humanoid red dragon. However, this was no statue...she could just feel it.

"Sekata!" Zoe gasped.

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Eventually, the footprints led Steve to the entrance of another cave at the side of the crater. Cautiously, he peered in to make sure the coast was clear, and then stepped in.

"Wow..."

It was hard to say if it was a natural or artificial formation, but it still was an astonishing sight. The area was tall and wide, with dozens of stone passages and 'stairways' running through it like a twisted maze of tunnels. Lying all around were translucent crystal formations that glowed with a soft blue light, providing some visibility in the otherwise dark cavern.

Steve glanced up, squinting in the dim light. Somewhere above, he spotted at opening which seemed to lead to the outside area, and presumably the summit. But without the ability to use his wings, Steve would have to make a long journey through the winding tunnels before he could reach it.

"See you at the top loser!"

"What?!"

Black WereGarurumon and sidekick were up on a ledge above, pulling faces at Steve before dashing back into the adjoining passageway.

"We'll see who gets the last laugh!" Steve growled.

There was a single slope leading upwards and Steve's first instinct was to rush towards it. Fortunately, he stopped himself just in time.

"Hey, hold on a second, that's what they want me to do." Steve realized.

Taking a small stone between his toes, Steve tossed it up the slope. It hit the surface with an odd splat and stuck there despite the downward slope of the path.

"Some sort of glue...guess I'd better not go up that way."

However, there didn't seem to be any other paths up and even the lowest ledges were out of jumping range. That situation was made even worse with his arms and wings tied down.

Upon further scanning the area, Steve realized there was a rope hanging down from one of the ledges above. The other end of that rope was fastened to a harpoon impaled in the rocks. Both seemed rather old, apparently having belonged to a previous adventurer.

Steve tugged at the rope with his jaws...and it held firmly.

"OK, here goes nothing!"

Steve was able to grip with his jaws, and by wrapping his clawed feet around the rope, pulled himself up at a slow, but steady pace. The only thing he didn't consider was that his awkward movements shook the rope so much that it dislodged the harpoon.

"Huh? Wargh!!" Steve dropped and landed on his side, knocking the wind out of his lungs. By some chance, he'd ended up on another ledge instead of the ground floor. "Ow...whew...man, that was close..."

"No! It wasn't this way!" Black WereGarurumon's voice echoed from somewhere within the cavern. "We're lost!!"

Steve ducked into the connecting tunnel of his ledge and grinned.

"The race is on."

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"You...you were the one who took him away!"

"Him?" Vija looked confused. "That's just a statue..."

"No, he's a friend! He's been petrified, stuck in whatever that stuff is." Zoe growled. "But you should know that! You're the one who took him from D'Arcmon's mansion!"

"I don't know what you're talking about. We stole this one fair and square!"

"Huh? You...." Zoe shook her head. "Either way, he doesn't deserve to be cooped up like this. Let him go!"

"Kaia, you don't need anyone but me. Why bother?" Vija shrugged.

"Don't make me say it again!" Zoe brought both her waist-mounted blasters up. "I'm...not....Kaia!"

"How...how can it be? How can you possibly love someone more than me?" Vija grunted, still lost in his fantasy world.

"Enough already!!"

"Then the object of your affection must be destroyed so that you'll love me again!!" Vija cried, raising his sword.

"NO!!" Zoe fired, shooting the weapon out of her opponent's hand.

While Vija cried out in pain, Zoe rammed her shoulder into him, throwing him out of the cavern.

"GGRRAARRGHHH!!!" Completely lost in a blind rage, Vija stamped his feet, lowered his bull-like horns and charged.

The few shots Zoe got off didn't do much to stop the maddened bull before he ran right into her. One of the horns pierced into her right thigh before she was able to grab on and fight back.

"Urgh!!" Despite the pain, Zoe shoved with all her might, but was still tossed into a pile of crates.

Vija didn't stop there and came charging for her again. Zoe spotted Vija's sword lying by her foot and snatched it up, just as the centaur attacked.

The blade went straight through the stomach area of his centaur body, causing him to howl in pain. Zoe shoved her foe away and fired her blasters until he'd stumbled out of the cave.

Vija was in too much pain and bewilderment to do anything as Zoe walked to him.

"Kaia..." He stared dreamily.

"For the last time..." Zoe raised her fists. "I'M..."

WHAM!! A large bloody mark appeared at the side of his face.

"...NOT..."

WHAM!! A second bleeding wound followed that.

"...KAIA!!!!"

WHAM!!

Blood splattered across the ground as the final blow sent Vija flying onto the riverbank. He fell onto his side, and at his awkward angle, forced the impaled sword through his upper body. Vija managed one last gurgled scream before he exploded in a cloud of fire and data particles.

"If that'll make him a little less obsessed with his lost love, then maybe they'll be together now." Zoe panted, stumbling into the water to wash herself clean.

"Hey!!" Aero swooped down from the sky, landing beside Zoe with a splash.

"Hi Aero. You missed one heck of a party." She breathed.

"Looks like you took a hit!" Aero gestured towards the spot where Vija's horn had pierced her.

"I'm fine." Zoe insisted. "But, I've finally found him, Sekata. He's inside..."

"That's great, but you'd better take care of yourself too." Aero grabbed a piece of cloth that had been thrown out during the struggle and tore it into a bandage. "Put this around your thigh for now."

"Ugh...thanks."

"Here, I'll help you." Aero offered a claw and helped Zoe to her feet. "You have that stuff they gave us to dissolve Sekata's casing, right?"

"Yeah...here." Zoe drew a small plastic tube from her belt pouch.

The pair made their way into the cavern, to the place where Sekata's frozen form stood.

"Still the same as back on that fateful day." Aero muttered. "Let's get him out."

"Just a second..." Zoe reached out and touched the side of the dragon's face.

<Sekata, it's me, Zoe. Can you respond? Please?>

Zoe...I...

The 'voice' was weak, but it was definitely there.

<Yes, it's really me.>

I...I...don't know...what to...say...

"You'd better tell him it'll sting a little." Aero took the tube from Zoe and squeezed its contents onto Sekata's head and shoulders.

There was a soft hissing sound at the semi-translucent film that had keep Sekata immobilized for so long slowly started to dissolve. First, the film at the top of his head melted away, then the sections around his face. As they reached there, the white empty eyes of the statue moved, revealing blue-colored pupils.

Tears were welling up in those eyes, and Zoe reverted to her XV-mon form before throwing her arms around Sekata's neck.

"It's great to have you back." She sniffed.

However, a sudden roar from outside snapped everyone back to reality.

"That's Megidramon, isn't it?" Aeromaru asked.

"Janet...oh no." Zoe gasped.

"Sounds like she's still close by." Aero remarked. "Which should mean that she hasn't gone rampaging any unsuspecting towns yet."

"That's a relief, but..."

"Tell you what, it's my turn to distract her." Aero jerked a thumb at himself. "Siavon's got a solution to the problem and he's working on it as we speak. With the storm calming down, he should be able to contact you soon."

"Right, I've got it." Zoe nodded. "Be careful."

Aero gave her a thumbs-up before running out of the cavern.

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Steve felt like he'd been wandering around for ages, hitting junctions and dead-ends multiple times. However, Black WereGarurumon's voice echoing through the tunnels made it clear that they were both lost.

It seemed his rivals were as unfamiliar with the place as he was.

Finally, Steve emerged into the largest chamber he'd encountered since the entrance. What was really exciting about this area was the fact that there was a rock stairway leading up to an opening above.

The stars of the night sky were clearly visible through that hole, which most likely led to the summit.

"At last..." Steve gasped. "After playing all those RPGs that dump you in a dungeon where everything looks the same...hahaha...it's actually paid off!"

He was about to move on when he noticed a pulley system connecting his level to the one below it. The system operated an old wooden lift, which was currently on the lower level. While it wasn't of much use to him, what caught Steve's interest was the wheel and handle next to it.

"The edges of that wheel are pretty jagged." Steve muttered. "Maybe I can use this thing to cut the restraints off my straightjacket."

Taking the handle in his jaws, Steve wound the wheel, which in turn raised the old lift. When it had reached its highest point, he let go and leaned his body as close to the wheel as he could. Both the force of friction and the sharp edges combined to creating a satisfying fabric-ripping sound.

It so happened that Black WereGarurumon and Dogmon choose that moment to walk into the lower room...just in time for the elevator to come crashing down on their heads.

"Huh?! WWAAARRGGHH!!"

BAM! CRASH!!

"Wow!" Steve pulled himself out of the straight jacket and wriggled out of the ropes beneath. He then moved over to the ledge to find the crashing lift had made a huge hole in the floor...with Black WereGarurumon and Dogmon hanging onto the edge for dear life.

"Hey guys!" Steve spread his wings and flew down to the pair.

"Eep...erm...hey..." Black WereGarurumon laughed nervously. "Can't we talk about this? Please?!"

"You are the last team to arrive. I'm sorry to tell you that you've both been eliminated from the race." Steve quipped.

With that, he stomped on their fingers with a loud crunch.

"OOWW!!! AARRGGHH!!!" The canine duo plummeted, disappearing into the darkness.

"Hahahahaha! Oh yeah! Sweet revenge!!" Steve laughed, doing his 'V' for victory dance. "Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Oh yeah!"

Then, a bloodcurdling roar drew his attention to the opening above.

"What the heck was that?" Steve flew up to the opening and pulled his head through.

What Steve thought he was facing at first was a purple pillar. Upon looking up however, his opinion quickly changed.

It was in fact an armored leg with a three toed foot.

Sections at the joints and beneath the armor were black colored. Looking up, the legs joined to an upright, dragoniod body. A long tail swung about, which had a strange glowing purple orb attached to its tip. The two muscular upper limbs also shared the purple armor, with several yellow patterns on the chest and arms.

On its back was a pair of red and black feathered wings, which seemed to be joined to the main body by wires and exposed cables. A pair of silver blades also emerged from either wing carpus.

Finally, the head was serpent-like in structure and also covered by a purple helmet. The eyes weren't visible, but it had two lightning bolt shaped 'horns' at the back of its head and rows of razor sharp teeth lining its jaws.

This was Death-X Dorugoramon (Dekusu Dorugoramon), a Mega Level undead dragon, formed through contact with the X-Antibody turned bad.

"Oh...boy..." Steve muttered, staring in shock. Not that he knew what the beast was, but it certainly was intimidating enough. It was much large too...Steve estimated he only stood up to its knee level.

The undead creature lowered its head to Steve's level and glared straight at him.

"Erm...I guess you're the guy who guards this X-Antibody thing, right?" Steve asked meekly.

The dragon responded with a roar that covered Steve in its hot saliva. Just as abruptly, it snatched Steve up in its claws and stood straight up, slowly lifting Steve towards its jaws.

"AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"