Old Ones Return (VI)

*Dianamon unfreezes his legs when Ceresmon ties Malkuth up. No reason to kill him with frost bite*

<Thank you.>

*She looks back at the others*

<We'll have to set a guard on him...>

*Dianamon suddenly regresses to Kylie and Lunamon, both whom lie on the ground*
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*Assuming whatever she found seems in a good mood, Lyra plucks a long grass stalk and tickles the baby digimon*

<You're a little cutie, aren't you?>
---
*Cameron looks at the stream. Assuming it's not deep or anything, he takes off his shoes and socks and rolls up his pant legs*

<Here, I'll do it.>

*He starts wadding into the stream towards some data pieces*

Taiyo: "You'll be okay. We're all here for you."

*The Metal Koromon is completely unresponsive, until its eyes stop glowing & it begins making loud, grating clicking noises.*
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G<I hope she didn't break something.>

*Tsune rolls over.*

Ts"I don't care."
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*Euryale shakes her head.*

E"That isn't what I'm worried about? What if I'm not here for you? Or what if I make some mistake that gets somebody killed?"
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*It would be funny if it dragged him off into the ocean, battering him against several sharp rocks on the way & maybe introduced him to a few piranhas, but no, it's just a calm, ordinary stream.*

Th"Please bring forth as many as you can!"

D<..."Bring forth"?>

Azuma: "Because you're not me."

*Lyra's eye grow huge and she drops the piece of grass on the ground*

<I'm sorry, I was just trying to play!>

*Tears drip down her face*
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*Biyomon looks at DemiDevimon and shrugs. Cameron takes off his jacket and uses it to hold data pieces as he gathers them*

*Elecmon races over to wind up the key on MetalKoromon's back. Its eyes begin blinking & its clicking more regular.*

<Please do not bother the babies!>
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*Thiera sits at the base of a tree, navigating the menus of her D-Power as DemiDevimon flies up, securing herself on a branch & flipping to hang upside-down.*

D<So, what, you're just gonna slingshot 'em into the sky & hope for the best?>

Th"More or less, I suppose."

D<This plan is stupid, I thought you were supposed to be smart?>

Th"You know, I hear that insult quite often."
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E"I was the one who wanted to go with Jupitermon's plan, then attack him when we found out we were double-crossed. That wasn't even me, Agumon was the one who figured that out. If not for him, he'd have made it all the way to the Dark Area, started bombing everyone starting with Thiera & DemiDevimon, & we'd still be no closer to reuniting with Taiyo & Renamon. And look at what he got for all of his trouble."

*She pulls the sleeping Koromon off of her neck, holding him out for Azuma to examine. He looks rather like an old, half-deflated soccer ball, if soccer balls could bruise & lose teeth.*

It would be in his best interest to not be around those people, so Hideki finds somewhere not in the direction the others went off in and goes in that direction to brood or something.

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Azuma takes Koromon. Not being a DigiVet there isn't anything he can do other than hold him out to MagnaAngemon to do his thing.

Taiyo: "We all make mistakes. No one's perfect."

*Biyomon goes to sit near Thiera, while Cameron fills his jacket then starts wading back towards them*

Biyomon:<I, for one, think you are very intelligent.>
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<(I'm sorry...)>

*Lyra shuffles away from MetalKoromon and Electron, Kotemon following*

"Uh, thank you."

*She holds out a hand.*

"May I please possess a data piece?"
===========================
*She bumps into Bacchusmon, who laughs, his stomach mouth flexing disturbingly while emitting a low bass chortle that shakes the cribs & knocks over a few eggs.*

Bacchus<Don't let that old stick in the mud get you down, he's just 'fraid 'a someone takin' his job!>

Elecmon<Are you drunk in front of the babies?!>

Bacchus<Don't worry, I brought plenty to share!>

Elecmon<You're even worse than the humans! Get out!>
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E"I don't think this was just a one time thing. I'm slipping, the others have noticed it too."

*The superficial wounds fade away & Koromon weakly opens his eyes.*

Koro<I've got such a headache. Which is pretty much an all-over ache right now.>

*Euryale reaches for Koromon, but hesitates.*
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*Hideki ends up at the edge of an enormous ball pit, where the refugee Digimon are brooding. There are mixed feelings to seeing him. A few smile weakly. Several of the rookie Digimon glare hatefully at him. Most of the Digimon barely spare a glance if they even acknowledge him at all.*

Azuma hands Koromon to her because what is he going to do with it?

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He shrinks back and goes another way.

*Cameron stares at Thiera, then at DemiDevimon. Biyomon looks very confused. While he had been walking towards Thiera before, Cameron stops near the edge of the water*

<Uh Thiera...are you feeling ok? You sound...different.>
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*Lyra stumbles back, eyes wide. Kotemon grabs her to stop her from falling*
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*Kylie and Lunamon get up and stretch*

Kylie:<How many digimon did we save?>

*Thiera looks at him like he has 2 heads.*

Th"What?"

D<She gets words mixed up sometimes. I don't want to alarm you, but she's not Japanese. Don't you feel like a jerk now?>
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*Koromon smiles weakly at her after she takes him.*

A<We got through another fight, huh?>

E"But I don't feel glad about it."

A<Yeah, I can tell. And it'll be a while before I can Digivolve again. If Kurata finds us, we're in serious trouble.>
======================
*As he can see the Bacchae partying amidst the trees surrounding the forest, his best bet to be alone is to enter a playhouse, which sounds likely to end with him being murdered by Slendermon. But if he so chooses, there are so many different types around that he could easily take his pick. Does he want one with a spiral slide? A tunnel? A swingset & a sandbox? The possibilities are endless.*
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Elecmon<I said, "Shoo!">

*In a shocking development, Elecmon blasts Bacchusmon with an arc of lightning.*

Bacchus<Ow, quit it!>

Elecmon<Away with you!>

*And so Bacchusmon finds himself chased around by a much smaller Digimon.*

*Cameron turns slightly red, then looks back at DemiDevimon and says the following in English*

<Neither am I.>

*He walks over to Thiera and hands her a data piece and starts speaking in Japanese again*

<It's my fault, I'm sorry. I...misheard you.>

*Cameron sits down beside her*

<You know..English is my first language too. We could speak it...if you want to.>
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*Lyra almost laughs at the scene. Her face starts to look slightly less red*

Renamon: "It's not unacceptable to feel unhappy about fighting."

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He goes and sits on a swing.

*Euryale tries to count on her fingers before looking at Renamon, squinting in confusion.*

"...What?"

*Koromon is presumably awkwardly pressed up against her chest so she can see said fingers.*

A<How many negatives was that? Triple?>

*Koromon begins coughing.*
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"Yes, that would be of immense relief."

*Thiera plugs one of the data pieces onto her D-Power. After pressing a few buttons, it flashes & shoots it out into the sky, like a meteorite.*

"If all goes according to plan, that one should seek out the enslaved Digimon that we saved from Etemon. I would also like to attempt to contact Mr. Yamaki, the Sovereign, SaberLeomon, &...perhaps Mervamon. But is there anyone else whom I should attempt to reach?"

D<I get the impression that Jupitermon is dead, & frankly I'm glad to hear it, he sucked. What about those pirates, are they still around, or did they get wiped off the face of the Digital World for whipping Taiyo?>
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*Hideki gets to watch as Elecmon chases Bacchusmon around the village, Tsune & Gomamon scrambling to avoid being crushed. Eventually Bacchusmon trips & rolls down a hill, Elecmon following.*

Elecmon<Nonono, not the Digi-Eggs!>

Biyomon:<The vast majority of them were wiped out, however some were still around...last time we saw them anyway.>
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*Lyra starts righting any cradles/eggs that got knocked over by the craziness*

Monodramon: "Why aren't you with the others?"

Hideki: "We shouldn't be here."

Th"Does that mean that they're on good enough terms that they might help us?"

*She takes another data package & does the same thing that she did before.*
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*Bacchusmon rolls over some eggs, but no sooner than he does so, the cracked pieces dissolve into data, float into the sky, & reassemble into identical eggs, which drop back into their nests. Bacchusmon lies on his side, picking at his ear.*

Bacchus<See? There's nothin' to worry about, we're already in the Village of Beginnings.>

Elecmon<I still won't forgive you!>

*He fires another blast, & the scene repeats anew.*
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"...Anyway, I've never been afraid to fight before, but now I feel like we've already made some huge mistake, one it's too late to fix. One that'll cost us everything."

*Euryale slowly peels her eyes away from Renamon, staring at the ground.*

"...You & Taiyo look terrible, & I didn't even notice. It's you that MagnaAngemon should be healing."

Taiyo: "I'm fine. Just a little tired."

Cameron:<We should ask, but I don't think they're likely to help.>
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*A smile creeps across Lyra's face as she was watches the fight between the mega and the rookie*

*Koromon opened an eye, looking Taiyo up & down.*

A<You do look better since you Biomerged, but you took a beating as Sakuyamon & then Daemon burnt your leg. Euryale's right.>
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*Eventually, the bushes rustle. DemiDevimon lands in front of Thiera, spitting a dart into her right foot & doing her best to hold her balance as she holds it out menacingly. A Monitamon waddles out of the bushes, waving a white flag.*

Th"Isn't that one of Mervamon's spies?"

*A wireless signal icon appears on both the Monitamon's & the D-Power's screen. Both screens then display the now one armed Mervamon, whose shoulder is bandaged. She appears to be sitting, cross-legged, on Bagramon's old chair, broken slightly from the fall of his tower. The white tunnel she is in is presumably the hollowed out log of Bagramon's former home.*

Merv<Humans. As you see, I have received your request for aid, but I regret I can offer very little. I am quite busy rebuilding my empire. However, I can spare a small force, including a group of Monitamon. That should be a more efficient method of communication for you.>
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*Malkuth starts chuckling.*
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*Bacchusmon retreats into the forest, the Bacchae inside throwing sticks & rocks at Elecmon while shouting at him incoherently.*

Cameron:<Uh, thanks! They'll be really useful.>
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Kylie and Lunamon jump to their feet, startled*

Lunamon:<(You go get everyone! Let's question him!)>

*Kylie nods and dashes off towards where Euryale and co are standing around*

Taiyo: "It'll be okay."

If it'll shut them up, MagnaAngemon does his thing although a good night's sleep would probably be beneficial. How the cast hasn't died from exhaustion ages ago is a miracle.

Malkuth<I can't believe you brought me to the place where you keep your young. You have no idea what's coming for you.>
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*For all of the energy they regain, MagnaAngemon loses some himself. Still, Euryale nods in grim satisfaction. Hearing Kylie's footsteps, she whirls around & points her D-Power at her, an expression somewhat like a cornered animal--halfway between aggression & fear. It takes a few seconds for her to recognize Kylie, who narrowly avoids being lashed with an energy whip as Euryale pulls the D-Power back & it cracks the air just above her head. Relief mingles with shock as she covers her mouth with her free hand.*

"Oh gods, I'm sorry, I thought you were the enemy!"
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Merv<I treat my friends well, & my enemies well, then wait for them to reveal themselves to me.>

Th"Excuse me, Mervamon, but there are others on the line."

Merv<I have much to do as well. As you were.>

*The screen switches to a selection screen with the options SABERLEOMON, YAMAKI, AZULONGMON, CAPTAIN MERMAIMON, & GROUP CONFERENCE. Thiera turns to Cameron.*

Th"I honestly did not expect so many responses so soon. To whom should we speak first? Or should we gather the entire team before we decide?"
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*Gomamon nudges Tsune, who tries to wave him off as if he were a cat.*

G<Hey, I just saw Kylie run past. I think something important is happening."

*She just rolls over.*

Ts"I thought we were all supposed to be resting? They should make up their damn minds."

*Kylie shrieks when Euryale sends the whip at her, ducking away from it. After a moment, she calms down*

<It's fine! Malkuth's awake again, I thought we might want to question him or something! Since he's all tied up...>

*Her voice trails off as she notices the state Euryale and co are in*
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Cameron:<I don't think we should wait. Let's start with Azulongmon.>
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*Lunamon doesn't say anything but begins to gather a pile of rocks*