Old Ones Return (V)

Ts"In THIS world, maybe it IS."

*He leads them through the data stream, emerging in a thick snowstorm that makes everything a blanket of pure white. MadLeomon grunts & shoulders on.*

<Stay close. The Maw is nearby.>
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Riley<...We're hiding...from Kur...ata....>

T"Um, do you know that you're lagging?"

Tally<...We've been sear...ching for...a D...Power Sig...n...al.>

T"Really badly."

*She sighs.*

T"This could take a while. Can someone see how the Gekomon are doing fortifying the Concert Hall?"

Tally<...Ever s...ince we...heard that...>

D<I'll go. Do you think you can make this piece of junk work?>

T"Maybe with the processing power of more D-Powers."

Tally<...Wild Ones were...spotted with...human children....we...th...ought you might....>

And everyone holds appendages because it's probably safest when travelling through such a location.

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Hideki: "Are they talking about us?"

He points to himself and Lyra.

*Lyra does the same*
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Cameron:<I'll go do that, but first do you need our D-Powers?>

Tally<...have...sur...vive...d....>

T"That would help, yes."

Tally<...after...you dis...appeared....>

T"At least I hope that it will."

Tally<...Kurata....>
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*This strategy eventually leads them to a cave that looks like a grinning mouth with sharp jaws. MadLeomon hangs back as they approach & abruptly pounces on everyone, shoving them inside just as the cave entrance slams shut.*

E"Are you crazy?! Now we're trapped in here!"

*A bright glow like a flashlight emanates from the screen of Euryale's D-Power as she looks around for Taiyo. Once she finds her, she begins helping her up. Noticing a stalactite about to fall on them, Agumon destroys it with a Pepper Breath.*

ML<It would likely be best if you donned as much protection as possible.>

*Wind whistles through the cave in a loud noise, alternating in pitch between menacing groan & high whistle.*

ML<Even more so now that the REAL monsters will be coming to play soon.>

*Kylie and Cameron hand them over, then Cameron goes to check on the Gekomon*
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*Kotemon digivolves to Knightmon, and grips his sword menacingly*

Everyone Digivolves/Biomerges.

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Hideki: "What does he have to do with what's going on here?"

*MadLeomon looks back & shakes his head.*

ML<You still have a lot to learn. The cavern will exploit your mistakes ruthlessly.>

*He points to Azuma & Hitomi.*

ML<Your Digivolution may give you armor, but not them. Further, what if the ground under your feet collapses? Or poison gas blows in?>

E"You've got a point...raw power isn't everything."

*Euryale slashes Gorgon Armor for herself & Aero Wing for Agumon. She then shines her light around the cavern, exposing a long, narrow passage way that leads further in.*

E"Obviously planning to crush us...."
==============================
*Thiera plugs the 2 D-Powers in.*

Tally<...staged an attack...against us & made it look like a Wild One attack...but we were able to escape to an old bunker from the war that was being used to store government computers. It took some work, but we managed to get most of the Hypnos software working. We then scoured the Digital World looking for your signals, focusing on the area around a large spatial disruption. We don't know what you did, but whatever it was, it amplified your signals enough for us to trace you.>

Riley<Are you okay? Is there anything that we can do to help?>

Tally<...Hello?>

Riley<...Are you there?>

*Frustrated, Yamaki turns & takes off his sunglasses, staring off into the ceiling.*

Yamaki<We were too late.>

T"No, it was just a lag. We ARE trying to communicate between worlds, after all. But we've fixed it now. We think. You CAN hear us, right?>

*Yamaki composes himself, turning around & putting his sunglasses back on, & they are met by a trio of "Affirmative!"*

T"Good. Just a minute."

*She swivels around in the chair, turning to the others.*

T"They must not know that there are 2 groups of Tamers. Now, are you asking about Kurata, or Yamaki? Yamaki was our old boss, but Kurata betrayed him, too. So he might be able to help us. Kurata is the new director of Hypnos. This army is all mercenaries hired by him to destroy all of the Digimon. So he's kind of evil."
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*DemiDevimon also goes along, like she said that she would. They find several Gekomon in the stage area using their horns to blow apart the leftover webbing.*

MagnaAngemon: "If the ground collapses, we will catch them. If poison gas flows in, I can get rid of it."

===================================

Hideki: "He wiped Lyra's and my memories of our partners. Of course he'd be shady. What I wanted to know was what he had to do with why we're in this world."

Kylie:<He's trying to destroy it and us.>
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*Cameron heads over*

<Need any help?>

T"How would I know that? I just met you a little over an hour ago."

Yamaki<Is this...perhaps a bad time?>

*Thiera turns back around.*

T"No. Well, yes. And no. The short explanation is that we just defeated a bunch of evil Digimon who had captured us. Now we're splitting up to help fight Kurata's army. I've been tasked to find a way to communicate with the other group."

Yamaki<There are objects rolling around the Digital World that look like glowing white tumbleweeds. Have you seen any?>

T"Now that you mention it, yes, why?"

Yamaki<They are packets of data. They can be rewritten to contain messages that can only be opened by the intended party. Your D-Powers should be able to do this. We can even send raw data to your location, for you to work with. So that's one problem solved.>

T"That's...that's great! I really can't express my gratitude."

Yamaki<Then would you be even more grateful if we could send you stronger Digimon?>

T"Yes! But how? I thought that you couldn't give out any Digivolution cards. And the Digimon without partners could not use a Blue Card even if you had one."

Yamaki<Are you familiar with a small, white Digimon named Calamon?>
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E"Maybe there's something that we can do."

*She holds up her D-Power & presses some buttons until the port at the top emits its energy beam. The beam fluctuates & flattens out, creating a small shield over her head, like an umbrella.*

E"Maybe we could combine these together. Do you think that it would be enough to hold off the cave walls?"

ML<Don't know.>

*Startled Kylie nods*

Lunamon:<Oh yeah, he helped me digivolve before.>
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*Lyra adds in her energy shield*

The two do the same.

*Soon they are standing huddled together in a dome of energy. While this is going on, part of the wall falls away. As they stare at it in confusion, MadLeomon suddenly goes flying across the room. After smacking into the wall, they hear the unmistakable rat-a-tat-tat of machine gun fire as bits of data fly off of him. While they're surely confused, MagnaAngemon feels some light objects make contact with him before several explosions go off just next to his chest, shoulders, & thighs. Angewomon can hear something whistling through the air towards her.*

E"What's going on!?"

A<I don't know, I can't smell anything in all of this ice & snow!>
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Yamaki<We should be able to find him & send him through a data stream near your location. Once he is with you, he can help your allies to Digivolve, albeit only temporarily.>

T"That's perfect! What would we do without you?"
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*A Gekomon turns to him.*

Gekomon<That'd be great. It's going to take a while to remove all of Etemon's junk from our home.>

Sakuyamon erects a barrier to shield the group and repel the attacks.

*Knightmon uses his sword as a shield to protect the humans*
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Kylie:<That'd be amazing, thank you!>
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Cameron:<What should we do?>

Gekomon<...You volunteered to help clear away the webs, remember?>

*An Otamon comes hopping in.*

Otamon<There's a big, scary, armored Digimon trying to get in!>
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Yamaki<We'll get right on it. Let us know if you need any help in learning the process to transmit the messages.>

T"Of course, thank you."
==========================
*Euryale breaks ranks, using her barrier to protect her head & her armored body to protect MadLeomon, but it takes every ounce of her strength to resist the attacks. Meanwhile, Angewomon gets a nasty gash in the neck, more explosions go off on MagnaAngemon, this time blowing off a shoulder pauldron & a piece of his helmet, & something socks Sakuyamon in the jaw.*

E"We have to Biomerge!"

A<No, wait, use the frozen breath first!>

*The ground under the main group of humans takes this opportunity to begin cracking & sinking while whatever was attacking MadLeomon stops firing, instead closing in on Euryale & lifting her up by her right arm.*

Angewomon fires a Holy Arrow in the direction the attacks were coming from while MagnaAngemon grabs Azuma & Hitomi and prepares to lift off before the ground collapses, turning himself and them away from the projectilles.

Sakuyamon jabs their staff past Euryale towards what could he grabbing her.

*Lyra uses Aero Wing, then Knightmon picks up her up before using Aero Wing in the direction of the attack*
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Kylie:<Again, thank you!>
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Cameron:<I guess we'll take care of that. Can you show us where it is?>

Gallantmon<I'm already here.>
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*Angewomon receives another slash across her stomach, the arrow just striking a wall. MagnaAngemon is hit in the face with something or other, preventing him from getting to Hitomi & Azuma. At this point, stalactites fall towards them. Sakuyamon makes contact with something or other, which stumbles slightly & turns its invisible gun towards her, firing. While it's doing that, Euryale pulls herself up, slashing the card & BioMerging into a WarGreymon with angel wings, prompting whatever is holding her to let go. She breathes a stream of ice, which covers the invisible enemy, revealing the vague outline of an Astamon. Meanwhile, as the ground gives way under the humans, MadLeomon leaps forwards, holding his arm out.*

ML<Grab!>
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Yamaki<If he agrees, we should be able to get Calamon to you within half an hour.>

"Do you think he will?"

Yamaki<He did last time.>

"Alright. Someone should go to pick him up from the data stream. From everything I can see, the desert is still clear, but we don't know when Kurata will make his move. You wouldn't happen to know what he's doing right now, would you?"

Yamaki<I'm afraid we do not. He's moved into the Hypnos offices as a permanent residence, making him nearly impossible for us to keep tabs on. We don't even know if he's still in the human world.>

*Cameron takes a step back*

<Gallantmon, mega level. Are you a friend?>
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Kylie:<We can do it!>
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*Knightmon already has Lyra. Holding her in one arms, he moves to stab the Astamon*

They up and grab on to MadLeomon. Angewomon & MagnaAngemon lift up from the ground, Sakuyamon does the same, erecting a barrier around them.

*MadLeomon scrambles away from the hole. Astamon blocks Knightmon's attack with his gun & draws a knife from his sleeve to block WarGreymon's attack, aiming a kick at his chest that produces a small explosion of hellfire that knocks them back. He then shifts his feet, jumping back & opening fire on Knightmon.*

Astamon<So ya spotted me. Doesn't mean I can't give ya a hard time.>

*The barrier protects the 2 Angelic Digimon, but something starts punching the shit out of Sakuyamon again & whatever's attacking Angewomon gives her a bad stab wound in the stomach. MagnaAngemon feels the familiar sensation that he now guesses is small pieces of paper wrapping around him.*
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Gallantmon<I believe so. King Drasil sent me here to help, but he said you had some kind of fight with him.>

D<He's an arrogant jackass, so yeah.>

Gallantmon<To tell the truth, I only met him recently.>
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Ts<Whatever.>

"It would be very much appreciated."

Angewomon produces a Saint's Air in front of her to repel the attacker. MagnaAngemon uses his shield to well, shield himself.

Sakuyamon unleashes fox spirits to wreck whatever is in their sphere.

*Knightmon blocks the attack with his sword, then slashes again*
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Cameron:<Yeah, we aren't quite friends.>
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Kylie:<No problem!>

Gallantmon<You'll have to fill me in when we have time. This place is wide open to attack. The doors are all open, we don't have much to barricade them with, & there are holes in the roof.>

*With his lance, he points at the door that he came through, & then the aforementioned holes in the roof.*
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*He blocks with his gun again & stabs at Knightmon's eye, firing a few wild shots at MadLeomon. As MagnaAngemon's shield presumably employs the shield on his arm, not some kind of magical barrier around himself, the paper bombs go off once again, leaving his armor badly cracked. Something stumbles back from Sakuyamon, large, bipedal, & on fire. Figuring she's got that, WarGreymon lands next to MagnaAngemon & blows out with the Frozen Breath. The invisibility spell fades, clearly showing Doumon vs. MagnaAngemon, Kyukimon slammed up against the wall near Angewomon, Weregreymon on fire, & of course, Astamon.*