Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon Morphs: A Digimorphs Tale ❯ Dragon�s Valor ( Chapter 25 )

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

Dot hack, Digimon / Digital Monsters and all related trademarks belong to Bandai. 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.

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Dragon's Valor

By nightdragon0 (nightdragon0@hotmail.com)

"And well, basically that's why Janet's a raging Megidramon right now." Zoe sighed, having given her friend a very brief update of the current situation.

Sekata's eyes moved with interest as he uttered a faint grunting sound. The casing covering the upper part of his head and sections on his shoulders had melted away, but the process had rapidly slowed.

"Don't worry about the speed if that's what you want to know." Zoe nodded. "Wormmon told me that the dissolvent would probably lose some of its effect because you've been dragged out of that mansion and into who-knows-what kinds of environments, I'll just apply more later. We took care of that crazy taxidermist too, and Wormmon was busy freeing the other petrified Digimon when we left."

Just then, a beeping sound came from Zoe's Digivice. There was a hiss of static before Siavon's voice came on.

"Come in. Do you read me kid?"

"I'm here." Zoe responded. "It's a little faint though."

"We'll have to make do with it. Anyway, I think I've got a solution to the Megidramon problem." Siavon explained. "The analysis I received from Aero's contacts showed that an antibody program could be harmful."

"Then Steve..."

"No, I don't feel his efforts will go to waste. I've put together a device we can use to draw out the corrupted Hazard's data. It would weaken your friend, but that's something the antibody program can rectify."

"That sounds great then. We should get to it right away." Zoe said excitedly.

"However, there is a slight problem. The device doesn't have an internal power source, and we have to bring it outside to use."

"Hmmm..."

"My first thoughts were your Digivices."

"Only that Janet's was destroyed during her transformation to Megidramon." Zoe finished. "But we still have two: Steve's, mine..."

Sekata suddenly started making some muffled growls again, and kept moving his eyes to 'point' towards his wrist.

"Three I mean." Zoe corrected. "And Sekata's too."

"You've got another comrade? Well, that should be enough to work with. Get back here as soon as you can."

"No, Aero's out there distracting Megidramon. It'll be faster if you can home in on my signal and we meet up here instead."

"Agreed then." Siavon replied. "I'll be there soon."

The com-link clicked off and Zoe turned towards the partially frozen Sekata.

"I've got to get your Digivice off your claw."

Sekata 'nodded' as best as he could with his eyes as Zoe rubbed some of the dissolvent over the area of his right hand. As the casing melted away, Zoe dug her claws in and managed to yank the D-Dragon out.

"I'll be back soon." Zoe declared. "I promise."

Sekata seemed to have an approving look in his eyes and Zoe gripped his cold palm with her own. She thought she felt his fingers move slightly, but quickly pulled away.

Taking a quick look back, Zoe sprinted for the cave entrance and spread her wings.

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"Hey you!!" Aero yelled. "I'm over here!"

Megidramon 'acknowledged' with a bloodcurdling roar. The corrupted dragon had apparently been resting after its earlier run in with Zoe, and Aero had found it just in time.

"V-Wing Blade!" Aero fired off a blue burst of energy, not to hit Janet's berserked form, but to make sure he had its attention.

Its reply was launching a pair of fireballs at the Aero V-dramon, which he spun in the air to avoid.

"Wow...this is not going to be easy, but I have to keep this up." Aero realized. "Hey! Come on! Can't hit me?!"

He sent another energy burst in Megidramon's direction, and then took off with an about-face. Megidramon stayed right on his tail as he swerved his way through the valley. There were miles of mountainous regions around and Aero hoped that he wouldn't run out of ground before help arrived.

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Finally, after such a long time, Sekata realized there was some feeling in his body again. He couldn't move any major limbs yet, but slowly, his fingers were beginning to come free.

Still, Zoe running off had him worried. From what he could make out, the situation wasn't good and she'd left without him. Zoe...there was also so much he wanted to say to her.

He was twisting his neck, trying to free his snout, when AncientGreymon spoke to him again.

<So, feels good to wriggle your fingers again, eh?>

Grrrr...no thanks to you. Sekata, though still unable to speak, directed his thoughts to the ancient dragon.

And what? Charge me my soul for the service? No thanks, and that goes to your previous offer too!

<Well, looks like those 3 months of confinement as a statue hasn't changed you too much. Good...>

3 months?! Was it really that long? Sekata gasped.

Hey, you were the one trying to drive me insane in there!

<On the contrary, I was keeping your sanity intact.> AncientGreymon huffed.

By mentally torturing me?!

You... Sekata was stunned. The thought mentally caused him to shudder, but in some twisted sense, AncientGreymon had a point.

For what?!

<Sorry, but I can't tell you that now. You'll know soon enough though...sooner that you think.> AncientGreymon's presence began to depart.

Hold on! That story about your past earlier...what happened in the end? Sekata asked.

AncientGreymon didn't answer for a long time, as if giving it very careful consideration.

<Oh well, I suppose nobody likes cliffhanger endings....> The armored dragon suddenly smirked.

Once again, Sekata's vision was engulfed by a bright light and he was suddenly viewing the events through Rodi the XV-mon's, eyes.

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Flashback...

"That's strange, do you guys smell something burning?" Luna asked.

Rodi turned to his companions, a Flybeemon and a Renamon, and then nodded. These were the same three Digimon Sekata had seen in the last vision, only now each one had strapped on a black vest with a sword attached to its back.

"Yea...I wonder what's up?" He muttered.

"It doesn't feel right somehow." Wein added in. "I think we should hurry back. The academy's close by!"

The three broke into a sprint, shoving their way through the forest trail. However, when they emerged into the opening, the trio stopped short, staring in disbelief.

They were definitely in the large clearing at the base of the mountain, where their school should've been. However, there was nothing there but a large blackened spot instead.

"What the hell?! Is this the right place?" Rodi blurted out.

"I'm sure of it...but..." Wein run forward and knelt down. "The ground's still warm."

"Just what could do this?" Luna wondered. "And where's everybody?"

She quickly found the burnt remains of the wooden stage and the boards usually used in the various award ceremonies. Rodi was walking over a pile of rocks when his foot was caught on something.

"Ow! Damn! Huh?! This is..." Rodi bent over and pulled the shinning object out. Though slightly charred and cracked, it was a familiar golden claw weapon. A Wargreymon's right claw, though this one had a red insignia in the shape of a dragon's head over a white 'X'. "No..."

"What is it?" Luna asked, as she and Wein jogged over.

"Is that...Sensei's?" Wein voiced his worst fears.

"But he wouldn't just leave it in this condition...unless..." Rodi closed his eyes. "He was...dead..."

"So, it seems we have some survivors here." A cold voice rang out.

The trio whirled round to find a Skull Satamon, a skeletal creature welding a wicked-looking staff, perched on a ledge above them.

"Who are you?!" Wein demanded. "Did you do this?!"

"Hahaha, my troops did all the work. But apparently not well enough." The dark warrior laughed. "Though I have to admit the old dragon leader gave us a lot more casualties than we expected."

"Dad...you..." Rodi clenched his fists, trembling. "I'll never forgive you for this!!"

In one motion, the blue dragon strapped his father's claw onto his right fist and leapt up to attack. Skull Satamon stood still until the last moment, then seemingly disappeared into thin air.

"Huh?!"

The undead warrior materialized behind Rodi and kicked him from behind, rolling him head over heels into a nearby tree. Wein and Luna followed by drawing their own swords and attacking, only to meet with the same results as Rodi. Skull Satamon simply teleported around their slashes and took them down hard.

"Grrr...we can take him guys." Rodi growled. "Let's attack together!"

"Right!" His companions responded.

The three fanned out and formed a triangle around their solitary opponent. At the same time, all three attacked...only to have Skull Satamon evade all their attacks and leave the trio to slam headlong into one another.

"Humph, pathetic." Skull Satamon snarled.

"Ow...he's...too...strong." Wein cringed.

"W...what do we do?!" Luna wondered.

"Run for it!!" Rodi screamed.

"You can run, but you can't hide!!" Skull Satamon called from behind the fleeing group.

In their state of panic, Rodi led his companions into a cavern by the foot of the mountain. Following the narrow tunnel, he turned left, right, then left again...and hit a dead end.

"Oh shit!!" Rodi cursed.

"Great going!" Wein muttered.

"Hey, I'd like to see you do better!"

"Uh-oh...he's coming!" Luna pointed.

"Well I won't let him get me without a fight!" Rodi pointed his father's claws as the skeletal creature calmly strode round the corner. "Yargh!!"

"Nail Bone!" Skull Satamon lowered his staff and fired off a yellow beam which sent all three flying onto their backs.

"Grrr...argh!! I...can't move!" Rodi grunted.

"And you were saying?!" Wein snapped.

"Boys, is this really the best time to be arguing?" Luna cut in. "Gargh!!"

"Heh, now which one of you should I kill first?" Skull Satamon grinned, stepping on top of the trio's limp bodies.

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"Oh no! Oh no! Oh CRAP!! AARRGGHH!!" Steve's futile struggles did little but amuse the gigantic dragon.

Unbeknown to Steve, this particular dragon was much larger than most other members of its species would've been. Probably owing to its constant exposure to the strange energy source of the X-antibody, plus the occasional victim it consumed. This creature was seemingly bound beyond death by some mysterious force, its one purpose being to defend its prized treasure.

Still, none of that information would've been of any use to Steve as he was tossed into the dragon's mouth. The stench was utterly unbearable, forcing Steve to hold his breath and try not to scream.

Death-X Dorugoramon didn't even bother chewing, deciding to just snap his jaws shut and swallow Steve whole. The Gargoylemon was almost a perfect fit for Death-X Dorugoramon's mouth.

However, the dumb luck of Steve's tail being clamped between the teeth saved him from being swallowed on the first try. Desperately, Steve shifted his position, got his claws into a gap between a pair of incisors, and managed to avoid a second swallow attempt.

Death-X Dorugoramon was obviously getting frustrated and tried to wrap its tongue around Steve, or at least shove him down its throat with it. Not only that, Steve was covered in foul smelling saliva and the teeth were cutting into his claws.

Finally, Steve had to take a breath and nearly threw up.

Jeez...has this guy ever washed his mouth?! Steve thought.

His 'captor' began violently shaking its head from side to side in an attempt to force Steve down. There was barely any breathable air and even less light. To Steve, the struggle seemed to last for an eternity, until a faint glitter caught his eye.

It was a sword with a faintly glowing blue jewel at its hilt. The weapon and the severed, white armored hand that was gripping the hilt were wedged between another pair of teeth, just a little further back from his position.

With a renewed sense of hope, Steve realized that he might have a chance. His claws weren't having any effect on the inner parts of the mouth and Steve didn't dare bite down with his jaws, but the weapon might just do that...if he could reach it.

However, that would also mean having to leave his relatively 'secure' position.

Well, I can either go for the sword and get swallowed, or I can sit here and wait to be eaten alive. Steve told himself. Screw it! I'm going with the former!

Steve waited until Death-X Dorugoramon had made another swallow attempt, then made his move. In one motion, he released his current grip and grabbed onto the hilt of the sword. He drove his clawed talons into the gap the sword was stuck in and used Death-X Dorugoramon's shaking movements to help him jar the sword loose.

The sword finally came free and Steve stabbed it into closest thing...the creature's tongue. Death-X Dorugoramon uttered a furious roar of pain as it spit Steve out, landing him in a puddle of blood and sputum.

"Gargh...whew..." Steve panted, coughing. The battle to prevent himself from being eaten alive had left him tense and shaking, but his opponent certainly didn't care the least.

"RRROOOAAARRR!!!"

"Uh oh!" Steve forced himself to his feet and ran...with a very large and angry dragon behind him.

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Flashback...

"Ladies first!" Wein and Rodi yelled together.

"What?! Some gentlemen you are!" Luna protested.

"Grrr..." Skull Satamon raised his staff.

"ARGH!! No!! Do Wein!" Luna yelled. "He's too stupid to notice!"

"Hey! Take Rodi! He's the leader!" Wein replied.

"Urgh...your childish voices are giving me a headache!!" Skull Satamon snarled, raising his weapon. "I'll just kill all of you at once."

"RRRGGAARRGGHH!!!" The trio was screaming in terror when light suddenly swirled around them.

The next instant, they were tossed into a very different cavern, landing on top of a tatami flooring. Rodi's eyes snapped open as he stared around the room. There were all sorts of devices and machinery around.

"Are we dead?" Luna asked, risking a peek. "Huh?!"

"I think we're saved." Rodi muttered. "But I still can't move!"

"Oh, thank the gods I got the teleporter working in time." An old, feminine voice gasped. "Are you all right?"

"Grandma! Jeez, you really cut it close!" Rodi cried happily, seeing the pink colored, eastern-style dragon hovering above them.

She was a Holydramon (Magnadramon), a scared dragon of the light element. Rodi knew his grandmother constantly worked alone in her secret cavern near the academy, coming up with all sorts of new devices and technologies that would be put to use in their training.

"Here, this should free you from the paralysis effect." Holydramon brought up a syringe with a large needle at the end.

"Man! You know that I hate big needles...yeowch!!" Rodi started as Holydramon flipped him over, jabbed the large needle into his butt and injected the syringe's contents into his system. "Grandma! Don't do that! It's embarrassing!"

Luna burst out laughing until she got her jab too. The remedy seemed to take immediate effect as the two youngsters were instantly up and running.

"Hey Wein, we're safe now!" Rodi turned towards his friend.

Wein still had his eyes closed and was wiggling in the corner.

"Yeah I know, but could you please kill Rodi first?!"

WHAM!! Furiously, Rodi punched him in the face.

"Great, now he won't be conscious to feel the jab." Luna moaned.

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"Siavon! It's great that you're here!" Zoe waved as the armored black dragon landed by her side.

"Your Digivices ready?" Siavon queried.

Zoe nodded, bring up both hers and Sekata's D-Dragons to add to Steve's.

"Good, now take a good look at this." Siavon set a small, rectangular shaped box on the floor and opened its lid. "It was fortunate that I could find what I needed to make this in the secret base."

"Wow...what is it?" Zoe asked, staring in awe.

The object somewhat resembled a bracelet. It consisted of a thick central silver ring with several strange blue crystals hovering around it, almost like a 'crystal web'.

"I'm not too familiar with it, but from its technical readout, it's the best chance we've got." Siavon told her. "Put it on."

"Erm...why me?" Zoe asked worriedly.

"This thing is going to be powered by your Digivices. I believe you should thus be the one to handle it."

"But...I don't know how...and if I..."

"Have a little self-confidence kid." Siavon growled, snapping the bracelet onto Zoe's right arm.

The bracelet was felt surprisingly cold and heavy. With a metallic click, a pincer-shaped 'gun' formed at the front, together with a targeting scope. Siavon immediately went to work, connecting three wires from the bracelet to each Digivice, before placing the three devices in the box.

"Look, you just aim through the scope and trigger it with the vocal command 'Data Arc'." Siavon explained. "I have to give your fellow blue dragon a hand before he gets himself killed."

Zoe nodded, taking a quick glance towards the sky, where Aero continued to lead Megidramon in circles, evading its deadly fireballs. Her current position on a ledge overlooking the valley below was concealed by a large pile of boulders, keeping them safely out of Megidramon's sight range.

"There's a percentage count on each Digivice's screen." Siavon pointed. "Once, and only once each one's charge reaches 100% will it be safe to fire. Aero and I will lead Megidramon within range, and I'll signal you. A blue energy ring will form around Megidramon's body, then you'll have to keep the bracelet pointed at Megidramon in order for the draining process to work properly."

"Right, I guess I've got it." Zoe muttered.

There was no time for any further doubts as Aero's scream suddenly filled the air. One of Megidramon's fireballs had stuck him right in the left wing, dropping him in a spiral fall out of the sky.

"Remember, no less than 100%!" Siavon reminded as he flew off the edge.

The black dragon was able to snatch Aero out of the air, just in time to avoid having them both barbecued.

"Hey, thanks...ow..." Aero moaned, putting his arm around Siavon's shoulder for support. "I think I strained my wing."

"Humph." Siavon growled, wrapping his left arm around Aero's waist. "The girl lasted longer than you."

"That's a low blow!" Aero protested. "Uh oh, here it comes!"

With his free hand, Siavon pulled the shield plates from his back and linked them together, creating a black shield which deflected the incoming fireball back into Megidramon's face. That pissed the corrupted dragon off, causing it to come charging towards them.

"Hold this!" Siavon quickly shoved his shield into his companion's arms and made a quick claw slash at Megidramon as they spun out of the way.

The attack left a long, bleeding scar along Megidramon's right shoulder, making it howl in pain.

"Hey, watch that thing!" Aero gasped. "It's a dragon slaying claw!"

"No weapon is foolproof unless a mortal blow is struck." The Blackwargreymon growled. "Besides, have you got any better ideas?"

"Erm...nope..."

"Good, then shut up. Cause I hate backseat drivers."

Siavon flew beneath another swiping attack from Megidramon and weaved around its back. Unfortunately, Megidramon swung its tail and caught Siavon in the stomach, sending both him and Aero spinning into the ground.

"Oh no!" Zoe cried, watching from the opposite side as the two crash landed in a large pile of dirt.

The bracelet's charge was at 95%, but Megidramon was still going strong and the others weren't going to last much longer. There was only one thing to do then...take a big gamble.

"Hey! Over here! Hey!!" Zoe climbed on top of her rock. "X-laser!"

96%...

Her lasers caught Megidramon's attention. The corrupted dragon turned towards her instead, letting loose with an angry roar as it charged. It was out for blood.

97%...

Zoe stood her ground as Megidramon approached, breathing flames in her direction. She knelt down and shielded her face with her free hand.

"Come on Jan...I know you're in there somewhere! You won't....do this to me..."

98%...

"Zoe...ugh...get down!" Aero called helplessly from his position. "Zoe!!"

99%...

Megidramon was dangerously close now, and the flames were becoming unbearably hot, but she was almost there. Just a little more...

100%!!

Zoe made a short jump to the side, revealing the device she'd been shielding with her own body.

"Data Arc!!"

There had been no time to aim, but Megidramon was hit nevertheless as it flew past. The blue energy beam shimmered with codes and data as it fired from the bracelet's 'gun point', wrapping itself around a howling Megidramon.

The bracelet was also rapidly vibrating and Zoe had to use both hands to steady the weapon. She was watching as the bracelet slowly became brighter and brighter.

Then finally, everything went up in a bright white light.

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Flashback...

Eventually, the three had recovered and were sitting at a desk, listening to Holydramon's story.

"I was here doing my research as usual when I suddenly received a distress call from the school." The great dragon explained. "Next thing I knew, the base was shaken by a blast from outside and I was knocked out. All the systems were either offline or scrambled when I awoke and I couldn't do a thing but listen to the screams and fighting as I struggled to bring something online."

"We're glad you did Mistress." Luna bowed. "Thank you."

"But then, the others..." Wein muttered.

"And dad." Rodi held up his father's weapon and looked at it longingly before putting it down on the table. "Who was that guy? And how did his army manage to take on everyone....and win?"

"From what I suspect, he must be an agent of the CHAOS." Holydramon decided.

Everyone gasped as they turned towards her.

"And they needn't even have fought face to face." She continued. "With so many students gathered for the ceremony...that would certainly be a target for explosives or gas attacks."

"Those b**tards!" Rodi snarled.

"But what can we do?" Luna asked. "If we couldn't even take down one of these agents, and there are more out there..."

"This was what your father was training everyone for." Holydramon told them. "To fight the CHAOS, and some even to become Spirit Warriors."

"Spirit Warriors..." Wein said softly. "They would've been our top fighters."

"But we just lost everyone." Luna sighed.

"No, we still have you three." Holydramon spoke.

"Us?" Rodi asked. "But we're just a bunch of screw-ups. What can we possibly do?"

"That's not true Rodi. Your father has odd ways, but I know he pushed you harder because he believed in you, all of you. He'd never admit it, but he wanted you to be those warriors."

"Really?" Wein stared.

"Wow...I...would never have thought that..." Luna staggered.

"Dad..."Rodi muttered. "All right, I'm in. How bout you guys?"

"Of course!" His companions nodded.

"Then, these are for you." Holydramon pulled out a large box and opened it. "With these, you will be able to evolve into different forms, with abilities that will grow as you master them."

Inside were three glowing orbs: a red one engraved with the symbol (from Digimon Frontier) for fire, a purple one engraved with the symbol of wind and a yellow one engraved with the symbol of thunder.

"Unbelievable, I never thought I'd get to see these." Wein whistled.

"We'll kick some serious ass with these babies." Rodi grinned. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

"Yeah!"

The trio was dashing for the door when Holydramon flew up behind them.

"Wait! You have to take the orbs before they grant you their powers!" The older Digimon called.

"Oh yeah, that's right." The group skidded to a halt, scratching their heads sheepishly.

"Thanks for the help grandma." Rodi said, grabbing the fire orb.

"You can count on us." Luna continued, picking up the wind orb.

"Yeah, we'll make you proud." Wein finished, snatching the thunder orb.

They then resumed their dash, leaving a sighing Holydramon behind.

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"Oh damn! So screwed! I am SOOO SCREWED!!" Steve cursed, looking over his shoulder. "White Statue!"

He threw off a ball of white light that simply bounced off his pursuer's chestplate. His other attack ability, Black Statue, was a summoning ability that required him some time to channel. Not caring how he even knew that, Steve kept running.

Up ahead, he spotted a small cavern and dove headfirst into it. Fortunately, it was too small for Death-X Dorugoramon to fit through, who took to pounding furiously on the walls outside.

Steve knew he was safe for a while, but he certainly couldn't stay there too long.

Great, why the heck didn't I listen to Siavon and go rushing into this? Man, I bet even he didn't know getting this antibody would be this tough.

As Steve moved his foot, he stepped onto a metallic object half buried in the sandy floor.

"A sphere?" He wondered, digging it out of the ground. "What's this doing here?"

The old sphere emitted a white glow which became brighter and brighter as he dug it out. All of a sudden, a series of images snapped into his head.

They showed images of a Sorcerymon (a white colored version of Wizardmon), facing off against the Death-X Dorugoramon close to the cavern he was currently hiding in. The sorcerer raised the white sphere, whose white light seemed to hurt Death-X Dorugoramon, causing it to roar it pain.

It lashed out at Sorcerymon, knocking the orb out of his hands. Then, the images faded.

"This thing...it's a weapon...?" Steve muttered. "Hey, wait!"

He realized he'd also gotten the insight on something else, the surroundings. Closing his eyes, he tried to recall what he'd seen.

The X-antibody took the form of a shimmering blue orb with several light blue and red rings within it. It lay on a platform in the center of the area, something he'd failed to notice during his intense struggle. That wouldn't help him much, but there was something else too.

A ledge just across from his cave had a sharp outcropping, a sharp point sticking out of it...almost like a spear.

Steve shot a quick glance outside. Death-X Dorugoramon had stopped banging on the walls, but Steve was sure it was still there. However, the same cliffs he'd seen through the sphere were exactly as they appeared during the vision.

That gave him a really crazy idea, but sometimes, crazy just works.

With the white sphere held tightly under his arm, Steve grabbed a pebble and tossed it out of the cave. Death-X Dorugoramon immediately reacted to the sound, stomping onto the scene.

NOW!!

Steve sprinted, dashing between the huge creature's legs and towards the sharp point of the cliffs. The Gargoylemon made sure he was a safe distance away from his pursuer, then stopped briefly. Death-X Dorugoramon made a sudden lunge for him, which Steve sidestepped. Using a combination of his agility and his wings, Steve repeated the stunt two more times as he approached the cliffs.

Steve was out of breath long before reaching the walls, but survival instinct forced him to keep going. He jumped up, balancing on the sharp point, and quickly spun round, raising the white sphere.

Death-X Dorugoramon was making its lunging tackle just as the sphere emitted its brilliant light, blinding the beast, before the old sphere shattered. Death-X Dorugoramon flew forward and impaled itself on the sharp point of the cliff.

Steve did his best to move away, but was still thrown roughly against the wall as Death-X Dorugoramon struggled, roaring violently. The 'spear' had pierced it straight through the left side of its chest.

Slowly, its movements grew sluggish and it finally stayed still.

Steve lay on the ground, panting and staring at his opponent. After several minutes, Steve climbed onto the top of its head and poked the sides of its face. There wasn't a single bit of movement in Death-X Dorugoramon's body.

"Bite me!"

Then, Steve began to laugh, strolling over to the platform. Triumphantly he picked up the X-antibody and raised it up to get a better look at it in the rays of the rising sun.

"Gargh! It's mine!" Black WereGarurumon suddenly came up behind him, making a grab for the X-antibody.

"Oh no you don't!" Steve yelled, pulling away. "A friend of mine really needs this for...ugh!!"

Black WereGarurumon tackled him, the two pushing and shoving as they struggled for the prize.

"Dogmon! Throw the bomb now!" Black WereGarurumon ordered.

Dogmon popped his head out of the same opening Steve had entered through, holding a silver rectangular object in his hand.

"Oh yeah?!" Steve dropped himself backwards, throwing Black WereGarurumon over his head.

The startled wolf let go of the prize as he went flying...right into Dogmon's path. The two collided, screaming, and fell back down the hole. Seconds later, an ear-splitting explosion from beneath further enlarged the hole.

"Man, what a bunch of losers." Steve laughed. "Well, better get going before something else happens."

The winds were much calmer now, so Steve found a high spot and leapt off. Catching the wind beneath his wings, he soared, disappearing into the sky.

However, even as he departed, Steve failed to notice the remains of Death-X Dorugoramon were slowly beginning to melt into a strange, greenish colored liquid.

The fluid failed to seep into the soil, but instead flowed down the large hole caused by the canine duo's bomb.

And from far beneath, a pair of familiar screams were soon heard.

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Flashback...

"Hey you!" Rodi shouted.

The trio had emerged from the secret cavern and onto a ledge overlooking the site where Skull Satamon was having a squad of Flymon search for the missing students.

"Ah, so nice of you to come back." Skull Satamon laughed. "That'll save me the trouble of hunting you down."

"Well, you're in for a big surprise, cause we're the ones doing the hunting this time!" Luna declared.

"Prepare to meet the all new, Spirit Warriors!" Wein grinned.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Skull Satamon demanded.

"Let's give him a demonstration then!" Rodi roared, forming a Digicode ring around his right hand. "Ready guys?"

"Yeah!"

"Spirit Evolution!"

At the same time, all three brought up their Digicode rings and slashed them across their respective orbs.

"Huh?! Gargh!!" A blinding flash forced Skull Satamon to cover his face, and when he looked back, the trio were gone. "Where the?!"

"The raging flames burn, all mighty and consuming...Warrior of Fire, Agnimon!" In a brand new form, Rodi landed on the opposite side and struck battle stance.

"This wind howls, unseen and deadly...Warrior of Wind, Fairymon!" (Kazemon)

"Thunder rumbles, lightning blazes and all trembles...Warrior of Thunder, Blitzmon!" (Beetlemon)

The latter two were Luna and Wein respectively, landing beside Rodi and taking their own stances.

"Damn, bunch of showoffs." Skull Satamon sighed. "Flymon, kill them!"

"Hey, these aren't just for show you know?" Rodi smirked, sending winks to Luna and Wein. "Let's go!"

The three split up, each one taking on about six Flymon.

"Burning Salamander!" Rodi formed a column of fire around each arm and shot the flames forward, incinerating the Flymon.

"Brezza Petalo!" Luna created a series of pink 'strings' of wind, which she tossed and wrapped around the Flymon. And with a final kicking maneuver, she blew them to pieces. "Doppio Perforare!"

"Thor Hammer!" Wein slammed his fist into the ground, creating a stream of lightning bolts that shocked all his opponents into submission.

"Ugh..." Skull Satamon moaned, seeing his troops disintegrated. "Impressive powers indeed..."

"We've still got more to show!" Rodi growled, rushing in for the attack.

Skull Satamon leapt back, fighting off all three warriors with a series of swift staff swings. However, in the midst of all the leaping, kicking, punching and shouting, he wasn't able to hold all three off at once and took numerous blows that forced him back against the mountainside.

"Had enough?" Wein folded his arms as his friends surrounded their fallen foe.

"Never! Nail Bone!"

All three were forced to leap away from the attack.

"Hargh! Have it your way then!" Rodi shouted, somersaulting into the sky. "Agnimon slide evolution... Vritramon!"

His body flashed and changed into the form of a more familiar red dragon.

"Corona Blaster!!" Rodi fired off a burst of lasers from his arm-mounted cannons knocking the evil Digimon over.

Luna quickly entangled Skull Satamon with her Brezza Petalo attack, and Wein followed up the Thor Hammer to shock their opponent into submission.

"All yours Rodi!" Wein called.

"One finisher coming right up!" Rodi spun his body into a position with his head facing downwards. "Salamander Glide!"

Like a rocket, Rodi shot forward. He kept his arms crossed across his chest until he was within striking range, then lashed out with both claws in an X-shaped cut. Rodi landed firmly on both feet and spun round, facing his friends, as Skull Satamon collapsed with a scream and exploded in a shower of black dust.

"That was great man!" Wein cheered.

"Totally awesome!" Luna agreed.

"Yeah, we look pretty good, don't we?" Rodi smirked, though it was more like baring his fangs.

"Hey, wait a second, look up there!" Wein pointed.

Rodi turned to his left and spotted two humanoid figures standing on a high ledge above them. Those two figures, which Sekata recognized, were Wolfmon (Lobomon) and Löwemon.

<That was the day our legend was born.> AncientGreymon commented as the vision slowly faded, returning Sekata to reality. <And that comes from me, the real thing, and not from some twisted tale of a writer.>

I see... Was all Sekata could respond with.

<Well, it seems like you're needed again.> AncientGreymon muttered. <Until next time then...>

"Sekata!" Zoe's voice came from the entrance.