Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon Morphs: A Digimorphs Tale ❯ The Thing in the Dark ( Chapter 29 )

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.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

The Thing in the Dark

By nightdragon0 (nightdragon0@hotmail.com)

 

 

 

 

“You there? Sekata! Hey!”

WHAM!

“Ouch! What?” The fire dragon growled, removing his headphones and turning his music player's volume down.

Sekata's Vritramon helmet lay at the end of his bed, where Janet had thrown it into his feet.

“Sorry, but that's the only thing that gets your attention when you have the volume up on maximum.” Janet the Strikedramon waved. “We need you downstairs pronto. Just got another heavy load in.”

“I'll be there in a second.” Sekata called.

“Don't take too long.” Janet replied as she left.

Sekata turned back to his laptop and typed in the last few lines of his journal entry. Going back to the top of the page, he scanned through his writings one more time.

 

`It's been 3 months now since we started this new business, making it a total of 6 months that we've spent here in the Digital World. I really wonder what's been going on back home, but according to Zoe's power of reading the Dragon Dagger, we might not even exist there anymore.

I shudder at the thought, but perhaps it's better that no one knows we're gone. This is our new home as far as we're concerned. We've all come to accept this, but that doesn't mean that there isn't a way back to our original world.

And such, we've gotten ourselves into researching old relics and links to the past of the Digital World.

Nothing much has come up...until now. We've discovered some facts about the warriors who once wielded the Dragon Artifacts. They too were amongst the legends who battled the evil force known only as CHAOS, following after others like Omegamon and the Ancient Legendary Warriors.

One interesting fact is that the D-Artifact Warriors, as I'll call them, were rivals of none other that the Original Royal Knights.

That's probably why the new group that call themselves the Royal Knights are sometimes competing and hindering us on our search for the old relics and artifacts. We've run into Dynamo and Junon on several occasions, and I'm sure there are more of them.

We don't know their true objectives yet, but we're determined not to let them stand in our way....'

 

Sekata then closed his laptop and walked down to the ground floor. Steve the Flamedramon happened to be down there moving the boxes and waved.

“Jan's bringing the stuff in through the back, and we just need to move it to the storeroom.” Steve explained.

“Well, let's get to it then.” Sekata nodded.

It was a simple task for a dragon with Sekata's strength and as they were dragging the last box in, another pair of familiar figures stepped in through the doorway.

“Hey guys!” Zoe the XV-mon waved. “We found another location we could go check when we have the time.”

“It's at these old mines here.” Aeromaru the Aero V-dramon placed a map down on the counter as Sekata, Zoe and Janet gathered round.

“Isn't this where those new crystals were found?” Janet glanced down. “You know, those that are supposed to be some energy source?”

“Palaside Crystals, yeah.”

“Won't that place be full of miners now?” Sekata asked.

“No, we're not going to that part of the mines, but further in.” Aero pointed to the markings he'd made on the map. “There's supposed to be a source where all these crystals are coming from and we're going to look for it.”

“Well, I suppose I could use some excitement.” Sekata stretched his arms. “When are we leaving?”

“As soon as Katsu and the others get back to watch the store.” Zoe replied.

There was a sudden knock on the door and Zoe walked over to it.

“I'm sorry, we don't open for another hour...hey wait! It's you!”

“Rain?” Aero turned his head.

“Hey guys, long time no see!” The black armored Raindramon grinned. “I got a little time off from the Digimetal Knights and I thought I'd drop by. Is bro....eh I mean Steve here?”

The young Digimon was one of the first the group had met upon entering the Digital World. Steve in particular resembled his deceased older brother and the two had forged a strong friendship before they'd been separated by a huge storm. Raindramon just liked referring to Steve as `bro'.

Like many Digimon, he'd also picked up a more personalized name, hence `Rain'.

“Whoa hey there!” Steve, who was in the back room, ran up behind the counter and accidentally bumped into it. “Oops!”

There was a porcelain vase on the table's surface which fell off due to the shaking. Instinctively, Sekata caught the fragile object, but stumbled trying to regain his balance and stomped on Aero's tail. Startled, the blue dragon jumped a step and bumped into a row of shelves....causing a domino `reaction'.

“Aw crap!” Steve leapt over the counter and pushed a shoulder against the last shelf, preventing the entire row from collapsing.

Everyone else scrambled to reposition the shelves. It was fortunate that the shelves had glass doors, which prevented the items within from falling out.

“Whew, that was crazy.” Janet panted.

“What a way to make an entrance.” Steve laughed, kneeling down as Rain leapt into his arms.

“Yeah, sorry about that bro.” The Raindramon said.

“Oh don't worry about it. I just...”

However, all had failed to notice that the shelf door above Steve's head was coming loose.

“Steve watch out!” The others yelled.

Too late, the shelf door slipped open...dropping a heavy computer monitor onto Steve's head.

WHAM!

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------

 

“How is he?” Sekata queried.

“Just out cold, but he should be all right.” Janet replied.

The group had gathered in Steve's room, where Janet sat by his bedside. They'd placed an ice pack on Steve's forehead as well. His Flamedramon gauntlets were off and lying on a table in the corner.

“I hope so...” Rain sighed. “This is all my fault.”

“No, don't blame yourself.” Zoe put a claw on his shoulder.

“He's not going to be able to come with us though.” Sekata commented.

“Perhaps you should just head out first.” Janet suggested. “I'll stay here and look after him.”

“You sure?”

“No problem. Let me know how it goes.”

Sekata, Zoe and Aero then nodded to each other before leaving the room.

But someone else had been watching them too. On a hill outside the building, a lone figure stood with a spyglass in hand. He resembled a brown monkey dressed in a Chinese martial arts outfit.

“Hmmm...” The monkey grinned, before dropping out of the tree and out of sight.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------

 

It was half an hour's Trailmon ride plus a while more of hiking, but the trio finally arrived at their destination.

And sure enough, a small miner's encampment had been set up outside. Aero registered his party before heading off down a side path.

“Hmmm...the road less traveled.” Sekata muttered.

“He's right, the front is so crowded, but there's no one here.” Zoe added in.

“Well, you know what they all say about parts of mines being haunted and all.” Aero shrugged. “It's just to discourage trespassers.”

As they approached the boarded mine entrance, the group sensed something was wrong. The planks at the upper section of the entrance were much older and worn down, but those at the lower part were relatively new.

“Someone seems to have gone in here recently.” Sekata knelt down and pointed to a smudged footprint in the dirt.

“Looks like a poor attempt to cover their tracks too.” Aero nodded. “Well, we'll see once we get inside.”

The trio tore down the planks and entered the dark mine shaft. The tunnel was well constructed, with firm metal beams supporting the walls and ceiling. There was no lighting and once the group rounded the first corner, they were forced to bring out their flashlights.

In addition to their footsteps, there was a constant dripping sound of water somewhere deep within the mine.

“Check this out.” Zoe pointed.

Embedded in a nearby wall were several glittering objects. Zoe reached out and took them in her claws.

“Those are the Palaside Crystals.” Aero explained. “Though these are relatively impure. You can tell by the coloring.”

“Hmmm...down here. There's some strange green liquid...” Sekata knelt down.

He was pointing to a trail of the liquid, leading deeper into the tunnel. However, a sudden series of clicks caused all three to jump up.

It was like the clicking of claws against the stony wall.

“What was that?” Zoe gasped.

Everyone shone their flashlights around. Although they saw nothing, the source of the sounds kept moving about.

“I don't know, but something's here!” Aero muttered.

Sekata was turning around when he caught a brief glimpse of the creature. It wasn't very large, but it had pale, pinkish skin and a pair of sickles as it arms. He didn't see anymore, because the creature slashed at his face.

Screaming in pain, Sekata stumbled backwards, dropping his flashlight. Before he could even react, Sekata was attacked again, throwing him backwards. The others were shouting something, but the dazed Sekata didn't hear it.

Not only did Sekata feel the ground collapsing beneath him, he also heard the creature coming for him again. In panic, he fired his arm-mounted laser cannons.

The only result of that was causing the roof to cave in on them.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Jan! He's waking up!” Rain yelled out the door before running back to Steve's bedside. “Bro! You all right there?”

“Ow....my head hurts...”

“Yeah you did hit it pretty hard bro.”

“Steve!” Janet came running into the room.

“Steve?” The Flamedramon looked up. “Who's that?”

Both his friends stared straight at him.

“Hey who are you guys for that matter? And what am I doing here?”

“Steve! It's me Janet! We were from another world remember? And we got thrown in here by accident.” Janet knelt down.

“What the hell are you talking about there lady?”

“Oh man...” Janet sighed. “This is really bad...”

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Ugghh...ow...” Zoe moaned, opening her eyes slowly.

There was a bright light shinning into her face. Zoe started and punched forward.

“Ow! Hey!” Aero's voice cried.

“Aero! Don't scare me like that!”

“Sorry. But I'll take it that you're all right then.”

“I guess.” Zoe looked over herself. “I feel rather bruised at some places, but I'm OK.”

“That's good at least. But we're in a bit of a tight spot right now.”

“Oh yeah, the cave-in. Where are we anyway?”

From the light of Aero's torch, she could see they'd fallen into a large underground chamber. There was a small pond in the center of the circular room and several paths leading off from the main room. Close by was a narrow tunnel, which the two of them had probably slide down earlier. It was blocked up by some debris and didn't look very safe.

“We won't be going back the way we came, that's for sure.” Aero muttered.

“Sekata? Where's Sekata?” Zoe realized.

“He's missing too...”

“Grrr...damn!” Zoe shook her fists. “This is going from bad to worse.”

Then, the clicking sounds came again, echoing through the corridors. This time, it was nearly impossible to tell which direction it was coming from.

“It's that thing again!” Aero gasped. “We'd better get out of here fast!”

“Let's try this way!” Zoe ran down the nearest tunnel, only to have it lead to a dead end. “Crap!”

“Go back! We'll have to find another path!” Aero grabbed her hand.

With only one light between them, Zoe was could only see where Aero shone it instead of where she would've wanted to. The two splashed through the pond, finding the water surprisingly warm, though neither was in the state of mind to think about it.

The second tunnel they entered ended with a ladder, which Aero practically shoved Zoe up. He shone the light, making sure there was nothing in the tunnel below, and then dashed up the ladder himself.

Aero had his upper body through when he suddenly felt a shearing pain at his legs. Howling in agony, Aero slammed whatever was clinging onto him against the wall. Somehow, his attacker released its hold, allowing Zoe to pull him to safety and slam down a metal covering over the hole.

Both were left panting for the next few minutes before Zoe turned the light towards Aero.

“Ughh...I'm OK.” He waved. “Just a scratch...”

“You're bleeding bad.” Zoe pointed. “Let me bandage that up.”

There were multiple cuts and scratches on the Aero V-dramon's legs, but there was one deep cut on his right thigh that stood out. Zoe had a piece of cloth in her utility belt, which she used to bandage her comrade's wound.

“Thanks.” Aero managed a smile.

“No, I should be thanking you for helping me back there.” Zoe shook her head. “Guess I panicked a little too much.”

“Happens to the best of us...”

BAM! Something was thumping against the metal covering. The creature below made a couple of dents before giving up and scurrying away.

“We've got to find Sekata and get out of here fast.” Zoe muttered. “Either that or we'll be facing off against that thing...on its home ground.”

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Thanks.” Steve accepted the bottle of water that Rain brought to him.

“No problem bro.” The young dragon nodded. “Could I get you anything else?”

“Not really, I'm fine for now.” Steve leaned back for a second. “You're my brother aren't you?”

“Huh? I...eh...” Rain staggered.

“You keep calling me that. From the way you're saying it, we must've been very close. Heck, you even look sort of similar to me, I can just feel it.”

“Erm...I...well...”

“You guys said I had some accident right?”

“Well yeah, you hit your head a little too hard.”

“Ah, I see.” Steve continued in a cheerful tone. “So, what was I like, bro?”

“Huh? You were a Digimetal Knight and a great fighter.” Rain blurted out. “Err...I mean...”

“Wow, that sounds pretty important. Could you tell me more?”

Aw no... Rain thought. Last time, Steve tried to make me feel better by pretending to be my brother. Now he really thinks he is...and I might be making it worse. Did I want bro to come back this badly?

“Well, erm, you were a top cadet in military school and...”

Damn, I don't know what else to tell him! If I hesitate any more, he won't trust us. Looks like I don't have a choice.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------

 

Sekata let off a long groan.

It hurts...bad...

He'd been drawn, slowly and painfully, back to consciousness by the sound of dripping water. There was light somewhere high above, but it was dim and far away.

That left him in nearly zero visibility with a great weight on his chest. Sekata felt he was on his back, with the rest of his body pinned down, leaving only his head and neck free.

The cave-in...oh no...

It was probably a mixture of the rocky walls and the metal support beams that had come down on top of him. Sekata felt a pole against his elbow joints, hampering whatever little he could move of them.

He could still breathe, though with a little difficulty. His armor had probably kept his chest from being crushed, but that might've left him to a more terrifying fate.

“Zoe! Aero! Anyone?” Sekata's shouts echoed throughout his chamber, but there was no reply.

Drip...Drip....Drip...

The sounds of the water were getting faster and faster. Already Sekata could feel the wet ground beneath his head and...

No...if water is running into this chamber...it could...fill up!

And with no way to move, he would drown.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Rain! You did what?” Janet practically screamed.

“I'm sorry! But he got it to his head that he was really my brother and I just had to keep talking.” Rain said softly.

“You could've waited for me to come back.”

“If I did that, then he would've probably lost his trust in us. Steve's already dangling by a narrow line on that aspect.”

“Grrr...you may be right, but I don't feel good about it.”

The two were at a grassy field outside the store, resting under a tree and wondering what to do. Janet had gone down to look up about Steve's amnesia, but hadn't been able to come up with much.

“You sure it's OK to leave him alone right now?” Rain looked up.

“After what you told him, he's unlikely to go anywhere.” Janet replied. “Plus I got a call from Katsu and company. They've been delayed due to some Trailmon accident.”

“Speaking about the others, how about Aero, Zoe and Seakta? Didn't they agree to update you on their progress?”

“Yeah, that's true.” Janet touched her D-Dragon. “Maybe I should give them the call myse....watch out!”

The Strikedramon jumped and tackled Rain, taking them both out of harm's way as a missile blew up on the spot they'd been sitting on.

“Finally I get my chance to attack!” A werewolf-like figure stepped out of the bushes.

This was a heavily armored MetalGarurumon in his X-antibody form. Covered in blue and golden armor, the cybernetic wolf stood upright with a large cannon at his left arm and a smaller pistol on his right.

“Hey who do you think you are?” Janet demanded.

“Metallix, and I have a score to settle with one of your number!” The wolf hissed. “G-Cross Freezer!”

A section on his chest opened and another missile shot out, forcing Jan and Rain to dive in different directions to avoid the blast.

“Jeez! I don't know what this guy's problem is, but he's not getting away with attacking me!” Janet growled. “Strike Fang!”

Setting her draconic body ablaze with flames, Janet charged and rammed the wolf, throwing him to the side. However, he didn't seem too badly affected and countered, knocking Janet more than twice the distance backwards.

“Thunder Blast!” Rain sent off an electrical burst from his horns.

Metallix raised his weapons and fired, the two attacks colliding in a huge burst of light. When he looked back however, Rain found none other than Steve standing over a fallen Metallix.

“Hey, what are you doing here Steve?” Janet called.

“I'm taking care of business.” Steve winked. “Seems you two could use a hand!”

“Gargh! Finally found you!” Metallix rolled to his feet. “You may not remember me directly, but recall the battle you had for the X-antibody back on the mountains about 3 months ago. You beat a couple of treasure hunters to the antibody. And those two persona and what make me up!”

“What's that all about?” Rain whispered.

“Long story...” Janet replied.

“The liquid remains of Death-X Dorugoramon got onto them, fusing them into a more powerful form. And that's me!”

“Hey, I don't know what you're taking about.” Steve pointed. “Last time I fought one of your kind was back on those Snowy Hills. But you know what? I kicked butt with my bare claws back then, and I'm gonna do it again!”

“Oh no!” Rain moaned. “Maybe I shouldn't have told him that part.”

“Oh yeah? Take that!” Metallix fired his cannon, sending a hail of bullets in Steve's direction.

Steve sprinted, running around Metallix in a circle. Growling angrily, the wolf turned his gun and followed, trying unsuccessfully to hit Steve's fast moving form. The agile dragon suddenly skidded to a halt, snatched a large rock off the floor and executed a high jump over his opponent's head.

As Metallix spun around and pulled the trigger, Steve stuffed the rock into his cannon's mouth.

“Oh crap...” The wolf moaned, sweatdropping.

BOOM! Screaming, Metallix went flying into the sky, disappearing with a twinkle.

Both Janet and Rain were left staring, dumbfounded.

“Man, that was rough, but it worked.” Steve breathed, dusting himself off.

“Steve watch out!” Janet warned. “The rock!”

WHAM! The same rock that Steve had stuffed into the cannon came right back down and smacked him on the head.

“Ow...” Steve moaned, before hitting the floor, face first.

“Steve!” His friends ran to his side, shaking the dazed Flamedramon.

“Why in the world did you have to tell him all that stuff?” Janet said angrily. “I know your brother was a great fighter, but he isn't! Jeez, he could've gotten himself killed trying some close to impossible stunt or something!”

“I'm sorry all right? But what would you have done in my position?” Rain protested.

“At least don't get it to his head that's he's a major superhero!”

“Ugh...you....you lied to me?” Steve suddenly sat up. He'd apparently heard what they'd been arguing about.

“No, Steve it's not like....” Janet began.

“Get away from me!” Steve shoved both of them away and took off running.

“Hey wait!”

“RRraaarrgghhh!” Steve released his Knuckle Fire ability, sending off a series of fireballs that knocked Janet and Rain down. That was enough to cover his escape as the Flamedramon disappeared amongst the trees.

“I know how that felt like...” Rain sighed.

“Great, forget about it for now.” Janet pulled herself to her feet. “We've got to go after him quickly!”

Close by however, the same monkey Digimon had been watching the entire scene. Grinning to himself, he pulled out a small phone and dialed a number.

“Chatsuramon, I think there's a little job for you.”

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Ouch...damn it! My leg's getting numb.” Aero stumbled and Zoe caught his arm.

“Here, I'll support you.” Zoe put an arm around his shoulder.

“Wait, I remember I still have the map of the mines.” Aero unrolled a scroll from his belt. “If we can figure out where we are, we should be able to find a way out.”

“I hope you can find it quickly. I'll help you to the surface, but then I'm going back in for Sekata.”

“Hey, I can't...ugh...let you go in by yourself...”

“Trust me, I can handle it.”

As the two moved on, the frighteningly familiar clicking sound echoed through the tunnel. That got the two moving even faster until they came to a T-junction.

“To the left.” Aero gestured.

The clicking sounds were coming form the right path, and Zoe shone the flashlight down the tunnel just to be sure. From the left however, a pair of glowing red eyes opened. Aero saw it coming only at the last moment and threw himself between the new opponent and Zoe.

“Rraarrghhh!”

The Digimon that attacked took the form of a gigantic white cobra with purple and gold colorings on its crest. The serpent, known as Santiramon (Sandiramon, the snake Deva), sank his fangs into Aero's side.

“NO!” Zoe jumped to the side and slashed at the serpent's face.

Santiramon immediately let go of Aero and turned its focus towards Zoe, lashing out with his tongue. Zoe dodged several times before sending an X-laser attack right into his face.

“Krishna!” Santiramon launched a spear from his mouth, which Zoe barely managed to dodge.

“Hargh!” Aero came up to his side and jabbed the snake with his claws.

“X-laser!” Zoe pounded Santiramon as soon as he was distracted, forcing him back.

Moments later, the serpent began screeching in pain. The sickle-armed demon, the same one had been stalking them through the tunnels, had suddenly leapt out and attacked Santiramon.

“What the...?” Aeromaru stared.

“Let's get out of here now!” Zoe ordered.

The two sprinted down the way they'd originally come without looking back. Behind them were the screams and screeches of the battle, which were soon followed by the death throes of Santiramon.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------

 

The scene back at the mining encampment on ground level was pretty chaotic. There had been a cave-in at the inner section of the mines and the miners had gathered to look for anyone trapped inside.

There was a tent in an isolated corner however, where a dark, gothic humanoid sat calmly.

“My newest creation is turning out very well indeed.” The Sorceress Evza looked into her crystal ball. “The raw form of the recently discovered Palaside Crystals provides a perfect source of nourishment for the growing Arkadimon. Though he may only be at his Rookie Stage right now, his hunting powers are immense.”

“Indeed...” A rough, though feminine voice, came from the side.

“Too bad I can't control what he hunts once he's out there, otherwise the Snake Deva might not have met his end.” Evza waved her hands.

“They are our enemies, are they not?”

“In a sense, though they are of no threat to us. What matters is that they are not very happy with the `Chosen', as Lucifer calls them. And if they get in our way, well, it's just misfortune.”

“Grrrr...”

“Ah yes my child, I know you wish to join in the hunt.” Evza petted the muzzle of her companion. “You too are one of mine, so Arkadimon will not attack you. Feel free to do as you wish Zelia.”

“By your command, mistress.” Zelia stepped out of the shadows with a soft growl.

She was a dinosaur Digimon that greatly resembled a Velociraptor. The dinosaur's body had been cybernetically enhanced, with silver armor covering the head, arms, thighs, body and even creating a pair of wings. Armored sections around the belly were blue in color, while the raptor's orange scales could be seen at the neck and lower legs.

The Raptordramon lowered her body and raced out of the tent.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Arghh...damn, my head...” He moaned. “Why....why can't I remember?”

After running blindly through the forest, Steve had somehow ended up by a large lake. Staring down at his own reflection in the water, the Flamedramon just couldn't find anything familiar and slammed his fist on the surface in frustration.

“You seem lost boy. Perhaps I could help.”

Steve whirled around to find a dog-like Digimon standing behind him. He was equipped with light blue armor all over his body, leaving just his head exposed. There was also a purple scarf tied around his neck.

“Who...”

“I am Chatsuramon.” The dog bowed. “I can tell from your face boy. You feel angry, betrayed...”

“Yeah, well...” Steve muttered. “How would you know?”

“I can sense these things.” Chatsuramon smiled. “Here, take this.”

Chatsuramon produced a strange, glowing object. It seemed very much like a trophy, consisting of a blue sphere at the top being held by a silver colored stand.

“What is it?”

“The Digimetal of Darkness. You should be very familiar with this.”

“Should I?”

“Touch it and you will know.”

“Steve!” Janet came running onto the scene.

“Watch out!” Rain was beside her. “That dog is part of the Deva Assassins! And they're bad news! Don't listen to him!”

“I told you to leave me alone!” Steve yelled angrily. “Knuckle Fire!”

“Gargh!” Janet held her arms up to block out the flames. “Steve, I know you didn't really mean that. I'm your friend, remember? I just want to help.”

The Flamedramon charged forward and slashed at Janet, causing her to fall backwards.

“Ugh...I'm not going to fight you Steve.” Janet insisted.

“In that case, I'll be the one to do it!” Chatsuramon sprang forward. “Shuvaboshana!”

Chatsuramon transformed into a giant mallet, which swung itself at Janet. With a roar of pain, the Strikedramon went flying. Upon hitting the ground, Janet was suddenly lifted up and entangled by coils of yellow energy, which formed a circle around her, restraining her arms, legs and tail.

“Hey, what the? RRarrghhh!” Janet screamed, feeling the electrical shock of the trap.

“Jan!” Rain took several steps towards her and stepped into a similar trap, another circle of yellow energy, wrapping around and immobilizing him. “Gargh! Arghh! Heeyy!”

“Those are Spellbinding Circles, and they certainly do their job well, even on other Digimon.” Chatsuramon gestured. “So, as I was saying before being so rudely interrupted, please take this.”

“Hmmm...” Steve said softly.

“No! Steve, don't! Gargh!” Janet managed.

“I'm sorry about lying to you Steve!” Rain yelled. “But remember what's around your neck! Remember you told me `brothers at heart'? I've always...urrghhh....held to....that!”

Brothers at heart...? It sounds...familiar...but why? Steve thought. Reaching up, he felt the choker around his neck and the keychain shaped like the Crest of Courage hanging from it.

“Ignore them. Just take this here and all your doubts will be answered.” Chatsuramon held out the glowing Digimetal.

“Just what is that thing?” Janet asked. “Another Digimetal?”

“No, it may have a similar name to the others, but it's really just an energy source.” Rain grunted. “A dark energy source!”

“Steve! Please listen to us!” Janet called again.

Unfortunately, Steve had his eyes closed and was lifting up his hand.

“Yes, that's right.” Chatsuramon pushed the Digimetal of Darkness into Steve's palm.

His friends stared in horror as Steve closed his fingers around the Digimetal...and shoved it right back into Chatsuramon's face. The orb at the top shattered, spraying Chatsuramon with a thick, black liquid.

As the dog jumped back screaming, his Spellbinding Circle spell faded, releasing Janet and Rain.

“Steve?” Janet gasped. “You remembered?”

“Sort of.” Steve nodded. “Hey Rain, brothers at heart, right? I remembered that too.”

“Yeah, great going bro!” The young Raindramon cheered.

“Let's take him first!” Steve growled, leaping into the sky. “Fire Rocket!”

“Thunder Blast!”

The two attacks converged, creating a loud explosion. Chatsuramon was thrown onto his side, howling in pain.

“Grrr...you fools...! But I won't go down....alone!” The black liquid was spreading all over his body, hissing sounds emitting as it melted his armor. “Shuvaboshana!”

“Watch out!” Steve shoved Janet out of the way as Chatsuramon changed into his hammer form and attacked.

WHAM! Steve took a hit on, where else, but his head.

“No, damn you!” Janet drew back, getting into a sprinting position. “Strike Fang!”

Setting her body ablaze with flames, Janet charged into the transformed Chatsuramon. Her opponent's body caught fire from her flames and exploded in a huge burst of sparks.

“Humph.” Janet rolled away from the blast, unscratched. “That takes care of him. Hey Steve! Steve?”

“Bro!” Rain ran over to the unconscious Flamedramon's side.

It took a while of shaking and shouting before Steve finally opened his eyes.

“Urghh...ow...my head...”

“Steve! That's your name, you remember right?” Janet grabbed his shoulders. “I'm Janet remember? And we...”

“Hey, hey, calm down.” Steve waved his claws. “I'm me all right. I really remember this time.”

“Really?”

“Hey, you really do care about me Jan.” Steve grinned.

“You? Humph!” Janet dropped him and folded her arms. “You're part of this team and I need to watch out for you. That's all! And just don't hit your head too many times again!”

“Heh, maybe that's what triggered my little memory loss. Luckily I have a thick skull.”

“A thick head is more like it!” Janet fumed.

“Ohh, touché.”

“Erm...” Rain started.

“I know...” Steve put a claw on his companion's shoulder. “No hard feelings. Guess I sorta deserved it for the previous time with you.”

“Well, we're even now bro.”

“But you know...” Steve pulled on his choker. “I did like being your brother.”

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Garghhh...damn it!” Sekata cried.

Some more cracks had appeared, causing the water to seep into the area even faster. That had been followed by shaking and the sounds of explosions from somewhere in the distance.

Desperately, Sekata wiggled his neck even more. It was then that he felt his horns strike something.

That sounded like a hollow object, a pipe or something. Wait perhaps I could...

Sekata craned his neck as much as he could and felt the object close by. Muddy water was already flowing in and Sekata had no choice but to use his tongue to try and move the object towards him.

The taste of the water was utterly disgusting, but Sekata kept as it. Slowly he managed to get the tip of his tongue around the object and pulled it back to his jaws. Sekata was relieved to find that it was a fairly long hollow pipe, which he was able to breathe through.

Sekata carefully lifted the pipe up in his jaws and rested it against the rocks that were pinning him down. The water seemed to be rising faster and in a few minutes, would cover his entire face.

The trapped dragon could only lie back, hope and pray....