Digimon - Hopeless Paradise
30 years ago, a group of scientists endeavored to create an alternate plain of existence. This group was called "Paradiso". The few inhabitants they initially placed into this program were of varied levels. Over time, the mysterious creatures - named Digimon, a combination of the words "Digital" and "Monsters" - strangely developed, gaining sentient minds. The digitally-engineered world, which was unsurprisingly named the "Digital World", soon began to increase in size as well. It was initially created to be 100 meters in length, but soon it began to increase to be exactly the same size of our own world. "Paradiso" added a small program, dubbed "Yggdrasil", to their creation, hoping to add stability to the program. Soon the ambitions of "Paradiso" received many questions, placing the group within the center of much controversy.
The leader of the project, Allen Fenrir, said his dream was to create another realm of existence so as to create a paradise for humans to live in. While the technology was available to create the program itself, their was no known technology for people to become a part of the program successfully yet. Beta Testers signed up to participate in a Virtual Reality Simulator to test the safety of living within the world, but the Beta Testers died of unknown causes. As such, "Paradiso" was dissolved and the "Digital World Project" was terminated. Allen Fenrir's career was in shambles, and the man soon disappeared.
Despite termination, the Digital World still continued to develop. Was it a glitch, or a fail-safe program within that prevented permanent deletion? Regardless, the Digital World still existed, but there was no one on Earth that knew.
Gallantmon could not believe it. It was rare for him to be nervous. He was among the strongest of the Royal Knights, those sworn to uphold the justice of the Digital World. He sat in the conference room of the Tower of Babel, and the only other occupant in the room was Barbamon, the Demon Lord of Greed and the master strategist of the Seven Great Demon Lords. Gallantmon may have been one of the best candidates to represent the Royal Knights in this meeting, but it was Leopardmon who was the leading strategist among the Royal Knights. Sending him would have been much more suitable for a Digimon of Barbamon's caliber.
Gallantmon was garbed entirely in a suit of white armor, with the addition of a red cape and a helmet in the shape of a dragon's head. In his right hand he held a silver lance, and in his left hand was a large, white shield with a golden circle engraved with the symbols of the Digimon's written language. The center of the shield consisted of three triangles with a fourth triangle upside-down and in the middle. Barbamon, on the other hand, simply garbed in a black cloak with red inverted triangles along the bottom of it. In his right hand was a scepter with a skull stuck to the top of it, with a red orb in its mouth. He had a golden mask with a long nose obscuring his eyes. His long, grey hair flowed to his waist. He wore a necklace made entirely of red jewels embedded in gold. Finally, he had four red wings of a demon.
"What, it's just you?" Barbamon teased. Gallantmon remained calm, knowing that this meeting was supposed to negotiate the peace of the Digital World. The continents of Stoichea, Embolio, and Ios were at war, placing the rest of the Digital World at risk of entering the conflict and the ruling organizations, collectively known as the Overseers, were supposed to settle matters.
"The Sovereigns and the Olympus Twelve were supposed to send representatives as well." Gallantmon answered at last.
"Are they not the Olympus Six now? Half of their members have been lost to the war, so I'm unsure of they should be considered part of the Overseers for much longer.
"Neither should the Demon Lords. Each of you are known for your treacherous ways, and you are the most infamous of the seven in that regard."
"Are you saying you don't trust me?" Barbamon grimaced. "You still haven't answered my first question."
"Only I am here because the Overseers all agreed to send one of member of each faction to attend these meetings. As for your other question, I have little reason to trust you after what the rest of you did to Seraphimon and Ophanimon."
"Seraphimon embraced his punishment, but Ophanimon was a fool to follow him. Nevertheless, they are wonderful assets to our cause."
"All of us are well aware of your 'cause'," Gallantmon retorted with a cold, and yet sarcastic tone. "The only reason we allow the seven of you to live is because of the balance you present the Digital World. The Sovereigns and the Olympus Twelve-"
"Six," Barbamon interrupted.
"...have each sworn neutrality. As such, the co-existence of the Royal Knights and the Demon Lords also presents neutrality."
"How do you exist as the force the neutralizes us? There are thirteen of you knights, but there are only seven of us."
"What are you suggesting, a challenge?" Gallantmon assumed.
"Well, if you wish to put it in such mild terms," Barbamon taunted.
"Your death will mean little," Gallantmon declared as his famous Gram Lance materialized over his right hand and his Aegis Shield in his left.
Alex Kadrou fell back in his bed, tired out from finishing his exams. He was wearing a black T shirt and black jeans, and his shoes were right next to his bed
"God, that was annoying!" Alex complained, despite the fact he was the only one in his room. The last exam he had to finish was his Algebra II final. "A pain in the ass really, if I do say so myself."
He turned to his clock, pushing away some of the black hair that fell in front of his eyes.
"Only one o'four?"
He pulled out his iPhone, browsing the internet to see what movies were playing in the local theater.
"Nothing," he lamented. The only movie that he wanted to see was the new Transformers movie, which wouldn't be in theaters for another week.
"Seriously, I wish something good happens soon."
The Tower of Babel was a dream to many Digimon. It was named after the biblical tower in the Book of Genesis. Many Digimon knew this for an obvious reason: it was in their programming. However, only the knowledge was programmed; the Tower itself was not. After the attempted termination of the Digital World, which was known throughout the Digital World as the "Failed Apocalypse", the Digimon sought to build a tower in hopes of reaching the Real World. This became the Tower of Babel. Many Digimon wish to gain entrance to the Real World to exact revenge upon their creators for trying to kill them while others seek to simply gain understanding of why they were to be killed. They knew not what their creators looked like, nor why the Digital World even existed. Many Digimon believe that this was the intention of their creators: To help them establish their own religion. However, unlike the many religions of the Real World, all of the Digimon followed one "religion". The Tower was created on the foundation that covered Yggdrasil, the enigmatic digital entity whom the Digimon regarded as God, but was still second only to the Creators.
The Tower was extremely far from completion, however. The Tower was just over nine kilometers in height. At the rate the construction of the Tower was progressing, it was believed that the Tower would take an entire century at most to reach the Digital World's atmosphere. While one could assume a Digimon could simply fly to the atmosphere and beyond, there have never been successful attempts to do so, as even the strongest of Digimon, those of the Mega level, were deleted. Digimon would argue that if they could not reach the atmosphere, then the construction would be all for naught.
Gallantmon, the Duke of Courage, and Barbamon, the Demon Lord of Greed, now fought at the highest point of the Tower. Due to its incompletion, a solid roof was yet to be added. The two combatants were delivering unsuccessful attacks, never once losing their footing on the floor.
"Lightning Joust!" Gallantmon cried, shooting a streak of lightning at his opponent from his lance. The Demon Lord batted the attack away with his staff.
"Gallantmon, you say killing me will mean nothing," Barbamon taunted. "However, my death would mean that the Royal Knights outnumber the Demon Lords by seven, meaning you would have nearly twice as many members as the Demon Lords have now."
"But you can be easily replaced, can't you?" Gallantmon suggested.
Barbamon gasped. "What an awful thing to say. I am the leading strategist of the Demon Lords! My cunning is irreplaceable!"
"I could kill you and we could trade Leopardmon as your replacement. Sounds fair to me."
Barbamon shook his head and chuckled. "Not so royal after all," Barbamon claimed as he raised his staff, which suddenly began to gather flames of red and black near the orb encrusted at the top.
"Lucemon can be a hardass when he's pissed, but he'll get over it."
More flames gathered in the sky at Barbamon's request.
"I'm not going to wait around any longer for this," Gallantmon muttered to himself as he held his shield before him, the insignia on it glowing. "Final Elysion!" A beam of yellow light shot out from the shield and towards Barbamon.
"Hmm, it's not enough," Barbamon snarled, leaping into the air. "But Lucemon will be less angry at me for using less energy. Pandemonium Lost!"
"What?" Gallantmon could not believe his ears. The black flames now encircled the Royal Knight, and the floor immediately rose astronomically in temperature. Instinctively, Gallantmon jumped into the air, watching as the floor burnt until it was nothing. The flames continued to descend down the Tower.
"All those years of work, wasted," the Royal Knight lamented.
"I'm still here!" Barbamon's voice howled. The Royal Knight shifted his gaze towards Barbamon before he realized the Demon Lord's staff was pointed right in his face.
"Dark Inferno." Barbamon muttered. Gallantmon was immediately ensnared in a crimson blaze. The Royal Knight fell headfirst downwards, falling to the incinerating Tower. The impact sent Gallantmon plummeting through several floors of the ruined tower.
"Lord Yggdrasil..." Gallantmon muttered before his life had ended, shattering into shards of data. Much to the surprise of Barbamon, who was still watching the collapse of the Tower, a stream of white light shot down onto where he believed Gallantmon was. A red and white egg with Gallantmon's symbol on it rose from the flames.
"Lightning Javelin!" Barbamon screamed, throwing his staff at the egg. Unfortunately, the egg seemed to fly off somewhere. Barbamon chose not to follow, deciding to return to the Demon Lords.
Alex decided to take a walk. Even if there were no good movies in theaters, he still had to have fun for the rest of the day. His parents said he needed to get outside more and that he shouldn't spend his summer playing video games. Otherwise, he would feel empty inside for spending his first moments of summer lying in bed doing nothing.
He passed the local bookstore, but paid it no mind. Then he heard a familiar voice.
"Hey, Alex."
Alex turned around to see who was talking to him. It was Yuusuke Echizen, a classmate of his. Well, he was his classmate during the school year. Yuusuke was a few months younger than Alex, but Alex never really attempted or even cared to learn exactly how many months. All he knew was that he was 17 and that Yuusuke was 16. Yusuke had short, brown hair, and was wearing a white shirt with long sleeves and black pants.
"Looking forward to being a senior next year?" Yuusuke asked.
Those words were taboo around Alex. "Do not talk about school. Seriously, man, we just got out today."
"I was just asking." Yuusuke frowned. Alex noticed Yuusuke had a book in his hand.
"Huh? What book is that?" Alex asked.
"And you had just said not to talk about school. This is The Last Olympian. It's part of a series I read, and it's quite enjoyable."
"That the first book?" Alex asked. Although he hated school, he enjoyed reading when it was an option.
"Fifth." Yuusuke corrected.
"Not interested."
"But it's a good series! It's about-" Yuusuke realized Alex wasn't paying attention, but was trying to get away from Yuusuke. He tried to chase after Alex.
"Hey, is something wrong?" Yuusuke asked, clutching his book.
"I'm just bored. Seriously, I need something to excite me."
"I thought the English Final was rather enjoyable."
"I do not want to compare and contrast themes in Twilight and Dracula ever again. Those two books just do not go together, even if both are about vampires. By the way, I didn't see the Nazi today."
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call Quintinius a Nazi?"
"How do you know I was talking about Quintinius? It sounds like you're calling him a Nazi. I could have been talking about someone else."
"Quintinius is the only guy you call you a Nazi."
"Maybe I was talking about that Derek guy. He does have blonde hair and blue eyes, after all."
Yuusuke stared at Alex.
"Okay, I was talking about Quintinius." Alex confessed.
"Why do you always call him a Nazi? I know he's German, but still."
"I may be an atheist - partially so that I can piss off my parents - but I still care for the welfare of the Jewish population."
"He's part of the Jewish Club, and he's made them get along pretty well with the German Club."
"It's a front. You see, by allying himself with the Jewish Club, he's trying to draw them into a false sense of security. Then, once the German Club has raised enough money for their "trip to Germany", that's when the German Club will strike.
"I blame your Catholic parents for your paranoia."
The streams of data seemed to flow endlessly in the Castle of the Royal Knights. Right now, there were only six present: Crusadermon, Dynasmon, Examon, UlforceVeedramon, Magnamon, and Omnimon, all seated at a Round Table with seven empty seats. Crusadermon wore entirely pink armor and held a large yellow rectangular shirt over his right hand. Dynasmon wore white armor and a horned helmet and had two purple wings. Examon was a red, draconic Digimon wielding a black spear in his right hand. UlforceVeedramon's armor was similar to Dynasmon's, only his helmet was much more like a dragon's head and his wings were blue. Magnamon simply wore gold armor. Omnimon, who was much taller than the rest of them, wore white armor with a cape that was white on front and red on the back. His left hand was in the form of a dragon's head and his right hand was in the form of a wolf's.
"Gallantmon should be back by now." Magnamon commented, breaking the silence. His statement seemed to be directed at Omnimon more than the others. He knew the Omnimon and Gallantmon were like brothers, and he also knew Omnimon would be the most upset if something had happened to Gallantmon.
"I knew we should have sent you, Omnimon," Crusadermon admitted. Very few of the Royal Knights could stand him, especially since he was more sarcastic than even Leopardmon. "But Gallantmon insisted on going, even though you and Leopardmon were remarkably tied for the best choice. Well, it's no surprise that you were nominated, but Leopardmon? Oh, to even consider him!" Crusadermon held a rose close to his nose delicately and chuckled lightly.
"Leopardmon is useful as our strategist. He would have been perfect to negotiate with Barbamon and the others."
"We never did receive word on who the other attendees would be." UlforceVeedramon pointed out observantly, leaning forward and interlocking his fingers, holding his hands close to his mouth.
"It is hard for the Sovereigns to decide on their representatives." Magnamon added in. "There are only four of them, and their 'pets' the Devas are even worse at coming to an agreement."
"But the Sovereigns alternate with each meeting, little brother." UlforceVeedramon corrected.
"Ah, of course. Apologies for my ignorance. That still does not excuse why the Olympus Warriors did not send someone. I realize it is not within my jurisdiction to choose who, but out of the survivors, I would have preferred Apollomon or Merukimon. They seem like good candidates for the leader, what with Jupitermon and the others gone.
"And it is because they have lost half their numbers that the Olympus Warriors could not send someone." Omnimon confirmed. "They chose to prioritize their own numbers above the fate of the Digital World. A selfish choice."
"Omnimon, what does Imperialdramon have to say in this matter?" Magnamon asked.
"Imperialdramon has sent the others to find Alphamon." Omnimon revealed.
"The Lord of the Empty Seat?" Crusadermon asked. "Hah! Is he not supposed to possess the X-Antibody, Lord Yggdrasil's very own creation that was supposed to signify those not meant to live in Yggdrasil's new world? The main source of this conflict is in fact the X Digimon themselves. Would that not mean Yggdrasil is the true catalyst behind this war?"
"You speak blasphemy!" Dynasmon snapped. "I expected more from you, Crusadermon."
"You wish for me to hold my tongue?" Crusadermon asked. "Alright, for you Dyny." He held his rose at Dynasmon as a taunt.
"Heh, so when are you two going to tie the knot?" Magnamon teased. "It's been so long since you two started swinging di-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence." Crusadermon warned. His rose exploded into many petals, only to be batted away from Magnamon. "Well, you're no fun."
The attention of all Royal Knights was caught by an egg appearing in a flash of light, landing gently in Gallantmon's seat. None of them dared to speak, especially in front of Omnimon.
The Royal Knights exchanged frequent looks at the egg, each other, and Omnimon for what seemed like a long time. The awkward silence was broken when Omnimon uttered one single order.
"I'm going to Yggdrasil. Tell Imperialdramon to call off the hunt. We have far more pressing matters than a world war."
"So why am I following you again?" Yuusuke asked. He and Alex were now walking along the sidewalk.
"Daniel Mellow sent me a text saying he managed to "acquire" a recording of Revenge of the Fallen," Alex asked, who seemed to be playing a game on his iPhone.
"That's not supposed to come out for another week." Yuusuke pointed out. "You also said "acquire" rather loosely. Did he get the recording illegally?"
"Does it matter?" Alex smiled.
"Does it ma-of course it matters!" Ordinarily, Yuusuke would keep calm in situations like this, but Alex was particularly infuriating for some reason. "I have to thank you though."
"Why's that?"
"You helped me understand why I never hang out with you." Despite the insulting nature of the comment, Yuusuke had a rather keen smile on his face. Then he got distracted. Alex looked at Yuusuke's face, then at the direction Yuusuke was facing.
Standing at the bus stop was a girl with long brown hair, which was strangely covered in a number of clips and pins. Alex couldn't tell if Yuusuke was drawn in by the girl's strange fetish for accessories, her green eyes, her tanned, boney figure, or the fact that she wore a plaid shirt that someone would find at the Men's Department at Macy's. Not that Alex would know about that last part, of course.
The girl kept looking at her watch, then out at the street, convincing both boys that she was waiting for the bus. It was natural thing to assume when you're at a bus stop. Yuusuke made his way over to the girl.
"So what's your name?" Yuusuke asked the girl. The girl jumped in shock, not noticing the boy before, but her surprise immediately turned to anger.
"Why the hell did you sneak up on me?" she demanded angrily. It took Alex a moment to notice, but she had a faint French accent.
Yuusuke held his hands up to defend himself "I was just-"
"The bus doesn't come for another hour." Alex told the girl.
The girl turned to Alex. "Oh, thanks. Guess I'll just walk, then."
Purposely intending to annoy Yuusuke, and also to show off to the girl, just as Yuusuke opened his mouth, Alex immediately said, "It's less boring if someone walks with you."
"That's nice of you, but I can make it by myself." The girl took off, but Alex didn't mind.
"I think that went rather well, didn't it?" Alex asked with a smile, patting Yuusuke on the back.
Dejected, Yuusuke stared at his feet and turned around to leave, deciding to go elsewhere.
Crimson flames lit a darkened room, filled with seven enormous thrones. At the top of each throne was a different crest, each of different colors, that signified a specific planet or star in the solar system. A violet symbol, standing for Saturn. A pale green symbol, standing for Venus. A dark blue symbol, standing for Mars. A yellow symbol, standing for Jupiter. A light blue symbol, standing for Mercury. A dark green symbol, standing for the moon. At far end of the room, the final throne was symbolized by a simple orange insignia, representing the sun. Seated in the highest throne was a small boy with ten angels wings, with two more sprouting from his blonde hair, with was parted so that strands of his hair were in the shapes of horns. The boy wore what seemed like a toga and golden bracelets on his wrests and ankles. He had a purple tattoo on his upper-left body.
The young child was Lucemon, the leader of Seven Great Demon Lords of the Digital World, and the embodiment of pride. Even more noteworthy was that he was only a Rookie-level Digimon. The other Demon Lords were absent, but he was expecting Barbamon's return. The Demon Lord of Greed appeared in his throne, the one representing Saturn, in a burst of flame.
"You used that attack, Barbamon." Lucemon muttered coldly. "Why?"
"It was the best way to ensure Gallantmon's death." Barbamon smiled.
"You knew that attack siphons power from our home, Barbamon. I watched your entire battle, and I know you didn't need to use Pandemonium Lost."
"Oh well, at least I killed him."
A cut appeared right between Barbamon's midsection. It took him a moment to comprehend what had just happened before he realize that Lucemon had delivered the attack with just his right hand, judging by the fact Lucemon's hand was now covered in blood. The small Demon Leader licked the blood that was left on his hand, sucking on his fingers to ensure he had not missed a single drop.
"Your data tastes marvelous." Lucemon smiled sadistically. "So, are you going to use that attack again when you have a clear victory?"
"N-no, sire." Barbamon answered reluctantly.
Lucemon smiled before floating backwards towards his throne.
"I'm happy to hear that. How is the Chimera Project progressing?"
"Leviamon and Belphemon's troops should be gathering the remaining test subjects as we speak."
"'Should be'?" Lucemon repeated with a glare.
"My apologies, I mean they are progressing at more ideal rate than we had anticipated."
"Hmph, see to it that they are. The Chimera Project itself is even but a small step towards finding what we seek."
Barbamon bowed to his master respectfully. Even though he was a Demon Lord, Lucemon's attack had cut too deep. It would take a while to heal.
When Barbamon had left, two more figures had entered the room. One of them was female, dressed in a tattered, purple dress with two withered wings protruding from her back as two smaller wings were positioned between her soldiers. The other was male, dressed in a biker suit, wearing a purple helmet revealing three red eyes, and had a tail.
"Lilithmon, Beelzemon." Lucemon welcomed, addressing the Demon Lords of Lust and Gluttony respectively. "Yes, I had forgotten that I had not given either of you my orders. My sincerest apologies. Consider it your reward for consistently proving yourselves to be competent time and again." Lucemon went silent for a second to think upon the rest of the Demon Lords. "Where is Daemon?" he finally demanded. Lilithmon and Beelzemon were well aware that Lucemon had grown suspicious of Daemon rather recently, but their loyalty unquestionably belonged to Lucemon.
"He is still on his own little search, I'm afraid." Lilithmon finally answered.
"He still believes that Arkadimon exists? I admire his tenacity, but I laugh at his beliefs."
"Lord Lucemon." Beelzemon began. "A thousand pardons if I am talking out of turn, but do you not see it fit to endeavor to evolve?"
"What are you suggesting, Beelzemon?" Lucemon asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Indeed, your powers are unique for even a Rookie Digimon, and I would dare not think otherwise, but do you not think that you could keep Daemon in his place if you were at least a Champion?"
Lilithmon seemed to take in the idea of an older, potentially more handsome Lucemon with much delight. Lucemon himself could tell that much just from the grin the Demon Lord of Lust had on her face.
"For your sake, Lilithmon, I shall."
Lilithmon brushed her fingers through her black hair. "Do not feel obligated to do such because of me, my king. But, Beelzemon raises a good point about Daemon. Lucemon, shall we exterminate him?"
"That is not necessary for now." Lucemon answered. "Despite your fears, I see him as no threat for now. If either of you can provide proof for his extermination, then I shall consider it."
Lilithmon and Beelzemon exchanged a glare, understanding that Lucemon expected them to do just as he had suggested. Without a word, they turned away and went outside the door that had entered through.
Alex made his way up to a large villa. It was not as big as a mansion, but it was still pretty big. Alex looked at the address listed in the text message Daniel Mellow had sent him, and it was the same address as the building that stood before him. The grass was quite green, and the building had to at least be three stories high and just as wide, judging by the size.
He had never been to Daniel's house before, since he had only recently become acquainted with the boy. Daniel was shy, but Alex somehow managed to help him with that. They were in the same technology for the school year, and Daniel was able to provide help whenever he could. He hadn't seen that many people hang around Daniel, but Alex still thought Daniel was a nice enough guy. Yuusuke's earlier comment had raised a burning question though: How did Daniel get a copy of Revenge of the Fallen?
Regardless, Alex rang the doorbell to alert Daniel.
No response.
He rang the doorbell again.
Still no response.
He didn't want to ring the doorbell again, but he also didn't want to leave. It was the newest Transformers movie for crying out loud. Why would he want to leave? Was he really that obsessed?
He was about to resort to sitting on the porch when the door finally began to open. "Alex?" was all that came from the inside. Alex turned to see that Daniel was at the door, but a chain kept the door hooked to the wall. Daniel pulled down the chain an opened the door completely, granting Daniel entrance.
"Did I keep you waiting?" Daniel asked timidly. He had short-cut brown hair and was wearing a t-shirt and trousers. On his left arm was a red-and-black wristband. His eyes were brown, and he wore a thin golden necklace.
"Nah," Alex reassured him. "I only rang the doorbell twice."
"I don't think I had the first ring. Sorry about that."
"So, where are your folks?"
"My dad's at a business meeting and my mom's hanging out with her friends."
Alex stopped to take a look around. The house looked magnificent. A single chandelier hung from the ceiling, but Alex could tell the building had only two floors. The walls were painted light brown, and the carpet was smooth. Paintings were hung all around, and Alex could see an entrance to the pool, which had a diving board. The magnificence of the structure he was in now made his house look like a run-down shack by comparison.
"The theater room's this way." Daniel told Alex, pointing directly forward. The theater room, which wasn't that long of a walk from the front door, had a large flat-screen television. There were cabinets and shelves all around, and a typical refrigerator. There was a back door on the side opposite of the T.V. "I'll get some snacks. Do you think you can set up the film?"
Alex smiled at this opportunity to catch a film before the official release, which was something he had never gotten. "You want me to set up the film? That would be an honor."
"I don't think it matters that much. It's just a movie."
"You don't think it-Of course it matters that much!" Alex grew silent for a moment, realizing that he had just spoken to Daniel just like how Yuusuke spoke to him a while ago. On the wooden table he was able to find a DVD that said "RotF" on it. It took him a few seconds, but he was able to figure out that it stood for Revenge of the Fallen[/u].
"By the way, how did you get the film?" Alex asked.
"Oh, my father was able to get a copy of it. I didn't feel comfortable with it, since I would get to see it before everyone else."
"That's not a bad thing. In fact, I'm glad you asked me to watch it with you."
Daniel gave Alex a drink before he went to sit in his own chair. He placed two bags of popcorn on top of the glass frame in the table.
"I don't have many friends, and I'm not so comfortable talking to girls."
Alex successfully managed to resist rolling his eyes - much to his own surprise - but he still didn't want to here Daniel's sob story. He tried to avoid making things progress like a cheesy family-friendly film, but he felt obligated to return the favor for Daniel.
"Don't worry, just be confident in yourself." Alex advised. He hated himself for being so corny, but he reminded himself it could have been worse.
A sudden knock came on the front door. "That's odd, I didn't invite anyone else." Daniel said. "And my parents have the keys to the door."
The knock came again, this time accompanied by a man's voice. "This is the police, open up!"
"The police?" Daniel asked in a panic. He turned his eyes to the DVD that was never removed from its case. "Alex, they're here for the movie!" Daniel's voice was low, making sure that the police wouldn't hear.
"But why?" Alex wondered, afraid of having a criminal record. "You said your father gave it to you."
"We know you're in there!" the policeman called once again.
"Maybe he didn't get it legally!" Daniel answered with fear. "Oh, I hope that's not true. Alex, you have to get out of here! You didn't do anything, so run away!"
"Alright." Alex said. He didn't want Daniel to get in trouble, but if Daniel insisted on Alex leaving, then he wouldn't argue. Alex opened the backdoor, ran through the bushes, and ran across the lawn to safety. He was amazed that the police didn't even attempt to surround the place.
Omnimon stood within a white room made entirely of crystal. In the center of the room stood a blue orb placed atop a small white pedestal.
"You have arrived, Omnimon," a voice welcomed, seeming to come from the orb.
"Milord, I trust that you saw the events that transpired at the Tower of Babel and the meeting I have just come from?"
"Indeed. What is it you wish to talk about?"
"The Demon Lords may be planning a revolt. Sir, I beg you to allow me to lead a resistance movement. At least let me keep them at bay!"
"No."
"No? Why, Lord Yggdrasil? I cannot let Gallantmon's death go unavenged!"
"I have analyzed the dialogue Gallantmon and Barbamon exchanged, and Barbamon raises a good point. The Royal Knights do outnumber the Demon Lords. For this reason, I will allow Gallantmon's passing. If five more of the Royal Knights are to die, I would still allow it.
"You would willingly let nearly half of the Royal Knights be slain? That is madness!"
"Madness? No, this is balance. I forbid bringing the Demon Lords any harm."
Omnimon turned away, shocked by his God's command.
"I am saddened, though." Yggdrasil admitted.
"Why is that?" Omnimon asked.
"Despite being programmed to be an omnipotent being meant to stabilize the Digital World, I cannot read the minds of others. A fault in my programming that I still lament."
Omnimon refused to speak further, knowing that Yggdrasil could easily delete him.
"Sir," Omnimon began without turning back to face his God. "Before I leave, at least grant me permission to seek aid from the outside in regards to the elimination of the X Digimon."
"Seek aid from the outside? I suppose you could, but how would you do that?"
The question was enough to make Omnimon turn around once more.
"I believe that you can do that," Omnimon answered.
"Perhaps. I have not attempted to do so ever since the Failed Apocalypse, but I do think that my powers have grown to such a level in the years since then."
"So, you will allow it?"
Yggdrasil grew silent to ponder Omnimon's question.
"You wish for Imperialdramon to call off the hunt, and yet seek my permission to call for help from the outside. Why?"
Omnimon could not answer, and he knew Yggdrasil understood just why Omnimon had made such a request.
"Alright, if you insist. If you wish to avenge Gallantmon, I will let you do so, but alone. Outside help would also quicken the elimination of the X Digimon."
Yuusuke had decided to put down [i]The Last Olympian for now. Instead he decided that he would go online and discuss it. He placed the book on his desk right beside the monitor.
Searching through his bookmarks, he found his favorite forum, Summa Crossroads. In Latin, it literally meant "meeting place of the greatest", so of course he would join.
Finding his way to the Literature Forum, he began his topic.
"So I finished the first few chapters," Yuusuke said out loud as he tapped the keys on his keyboard. "and this is a good book so far. Discuss the book and the series as a whole."
He could not resist continuing the enthralling book and reached for his book to begin reading once more.
After a while, he had decided to reload the page on his computer, curious to see the replies. The board was filled with posts such as "OMG, this is an awesome series!" and other statements of below-average grammar.
Noticing he had an unread private message, he moved his mouse, clicking on his inbox. The private message was from a member named "Commander Ikari". He had seen that member quite a number of times around the forum, but this was the first time he had received a message from her.
Hi, LZ! were the words that appeared on his screen. "LZ" was short for Yuusuke's username, "Legend Zero". Look, I asked some of the Mods to see if anyone had an IP Address close to mine, and they said you were the closest person.
Yuusuke was surprised to know another member lived close to him.
I know, freaky right? Anyway, if you got some free time, meet me at the GameStop at the mall tomorrow. You seem like someone who can help me with a little "problem" I got.
Legend Zero debated with himself, wondering how to act upon the message. He didn't mind going to GameStop, but this was pretty strange. He replied asking when he should be there. He waited several minutes, reloading his page a couple times, and eventually got a reply.
Um, does around 2:30 sound good enough?
Yuusuke shrugged. "Sounds good enough. How should I find you?" was the message he sent back.
Again he waited before he received his reply, but he noticed it didn't take quite so long this time.
Don't worry, I should be able to find you.
The words struck curiosity in Yuusuke. Just how would she be able to find him? His question would have to be answered later, as he had heard words that sent terror into his soul. Many boys his age would dismiss the words with a groan, but Yuusuke was different. He would always shiver, no matter where he was. His mother's terrifying voice echoed through the house, reaching all the way to Yuusuke's room.
"Yuusuke, take out the garbage!"
Terrifying indeed.
A mechanical Digimon, shaped like a beetle of the height of a small child, was flying through a forest, trying to make its escape from the yellow cloth that was chasing after it. Its attempt was in vain, however, as it was struck down when the cloth actually managed to impale it. The Digimon shattered into bits of data, which was promptly absorbed by none other than Crusadermon himself.
"Hmm, so this is what an X Digimon's data feels like when its absorbed." Crusadermon plucked a flower from a nearby bush and sniffed it. "I've slain a couple Kokuwamon's before, but never an X variant."
"Crusadermon!" Dynasmon snapped sternly. "We are supposed to be looking for Imperialdramon in order to call off this hunt. Omnimon ordered us."
"Oh, Omnimon this, Omnimon that." Crusadermon complained. "I'm tired of listening to that egomaniac."
"I for one believe Omnimon is quite a reliable member. He knows responsibility, unlike you."
"Oh, Dyny, you wound me." Crusadermon teased. "Why don't you go off and marry him, since you obviously love him more than little ol' me."
"Stop using that irritating nickname." Dynasmon growled. "I'm amazed Yggdrasil even selected you to become a Royal Knight."
"My powers cannot be argued with."
Two red streams of energy came bursting towards the bickering Royal Knights. Crusadermon and Dynasmon turned to see the attack came from a red, mechanical behemoth with two cannons strapped to its back and long claws.
"A Chaosdramon X." Dynasmon stated. "Even the regular ones can be a pain."
"I'm sure it won't stand a chance against the two of us though." Crusadermon remarked.
Dynasmon laughed. "I'm leaving this one to you. If you like to deal with X Digimon, then have fun against this guy." Dynasmon flew off above the trees, off to catch up on the other Royal Knights.
"Still," Dynasmon said to himself. "When Crusadermon killed that Digimon, it didn't turn into an egg. Instead it turned right into data. Usually you would have to destroy the egg before that happens, and I know Crusadermon cannot bypass that."
Examon, UlforceVeedramon, and Magnamon had found Imperialdramon. The search did not take much long, as he was overseeing the mountains and the forests around him from the surface of a cliff. Imperialdramon wore black armor with a face of a dragon on his chest. On his head was what looked like a crown, and through his armor came red wings.
"Omnimon has news?" Imperialdramon asked, knowing that they would not be standing before him unless Omnimon wanted them there.
"Imperialdramon," Examon began. "Call off the hunt of the X Digimon."
"Why?"
Then Examon and his comrades exchanged a look, but UlforceVeedramon ultimately decided to answer for all of them.
"Gallantmon was slain, by Barbamon."
"I see." Imperialdramon said with hesitation. "Very well, I will-"
"Continue with the hunt."
The four Royal Knights turned to see Omnimon had arrived.
"But Omnimon." Magnamon said. "You asked us specifically to come here so that we may end the hunt!"
"Yes, but Yggdrasil has decided that the hunt will continue."
Magnamon nodded. "I understand." He dashed off, Examon and UlforceVeedramon leaving as well.
"Imperialdramon." Omnimon began, turning to his equal. "Where are Leopardmon and Craniummon; I must speak with them."
"I will not ask why you wish to speak with them, but they are currently scouring Ios for X Digimon."
"Excellent, then I shall join them."
Hana had finished her boring walk home. Walking in house, she gave a tired "hello" to her parents, making her way upstairs and into her room. The black-haired boy at the bus stop was right, it would have been more interesting if she had someone to walk with her. Of course, her dad wouldn't be too thrilled to see her walking home with some suspicious boy dressed in all black.
Her hair was feeling hot with all the pins she had stuck to her hair, so she removed them one a time, placing them all on her nightstand that was placed next to her bed.
"Hana, dinner's ready!" her father called. She was excited to hear that it was time for pizza.
"I'll be down there in a minute!" she answered. She had changed into her night clothes, which simply consisted of a yellow T-shirt and green pants, since she knew she wouldn't be going anywhere else for the night. It was really only at night when she wore "feminine" clothes.
She ran downstairs, much to the anger of her mother, snagged three slices of garlic cheese pizza, and grabbed a Mountain Dew from the refrigerator.
"Ah, now would you like at that," Hana's father had called out. Outside, the family saw a police car, and Hana could have sworn she saw someone in the back seat. Her father was dressed in a brown suit, his black hair slicked back.
The Royal Knights had decided to temporarily call of their hunt of the X Digimon. All of them were floating high above the ocean in a circular formation with the exception for Omnimon, Duftmon, and Craniummon, who had all gone off for reasons unknown to even Imperialdramon. Crusadermon was able to survive the Chaosdramon X were it not for the help of Susanoomon and Rapidmon. Susanoomon's armor consisted of a red torso and blue legs. On his right hand was a design in the shape of a wolf and on his left hand was another design in the shape of a dragon. Rapidmon seemed to have the appearance of an anthropomorphic rabbit wearing golden armor.
"Imperialdramon," Susanoomon began. "Why is it that you wish to call of the hunt?"
"Do not worry," Imperialdramon assured him. "We shall resume the hunt once we finish discussing the matter of Gallantmon's death. Omnimon has told us that Lord Yggdrasil wholeheartedly accepts Gallantmon's death."
The reactions of every Royal Knight said enough. Some were surprised at their God's decision, but others such as Crusadermon simply did not care.
"I have decided," Imperialdramon continued, "that we shall split up into groups. You can either remain here to eliminate any X Digimon that are left or you can come with me to see the Sovereigns."
Susanoomon stepped forward at Imperialdramon's statement. "I will lead the extermination group, but why do you wish to speak with the Sovereigns? Their neutrality will only put us at a further stalemate about what is to be done with the Demon Lords."
"I believe that we could at least sway the Sovereigns towards our side. I know that they do not agree with Yggdrasil, so they may in fact support only us Royal Knights."
The Royal Knights pondered on who they should side with. Imperialdramon had founded the Royal Knights, but had split into two entities to fill two positions. Omnimon, who was once a part of Imperialdramon, would be a member of the Royal Knights, and Imperialdramon would act as the leader. Most of them accepted this, believing the legend of Alphamon, which foretold the arrival of a Digimon that would take leadership of the Royal Knights from Yggdrasil himself, to be false. They already had every seat filled, so their decision on who to side with easily reflected their beliefs.
"I shall go with you." UlforceVeedramon told Susanoomon. Magnamon looked at his older brother with a raised eyebrow.
"If brother's following you, I guess I will too." he declared.
"I for one have faith in the Sovereigns," Dynasmon admitted, "I feel little need for slaughtering more of these X Digimon."
"Well then, I guess I'll be going with you, Dynasmon!" Crusadermon shouted with glee. "Just touching those filthy beasts is insulting."
Dynasmon chuckled. "At least you're not calling me by that infuriating name."
"Oh, you miss it already, Dyny?" Crusadermon teased, putting an unnecessary amount of emphasis on the last word. Dynasmon was ready to grab Crusadermon by the head and thrust him at the closest mountain, but refused to exert more strength than he needed to.
"I suppose I'll go with you as well." Examon, the ironically draconic Royal Knight said. Rapidmon and Sleipmon, another Royal Knight that was in the form of a centaur with six legs wearing entirely red armor, exchanged a look, but ultimately decided to stand with Susanoomon without saying a word.
Imperialdramon looked at the three that had chosen to support him.
Omnimon, Imperialdramon thought to himself I pray that whatever you have in mind will end this chaos.[/i]
Daniel was taken inside the police station in handcuffs by a tall, dark man. The cop was wearing sunglasses and had a goatee, although his hair was completely shaved. Inside the station, there was a number of officers tending to a variety of tasks. Some were using computers for research, some were organizing files, others were simply chatting to one another, and a couple of officers were just getting their daily cup of coffee.
"So, this is our culprit?" a man asked, approaching Daniel and the tall officer. He had short, light brown hair an a five-o'clock shadow. He was dressed in white shirt with black jeans and a black tie. The officer saluted the man, but a simple wave of the man's hand was enough to say "at ease".
"Kid, come with me." the middle-aged man told Daniel, opening the door to his office. The man sat in his chair, and Daniel took the chair on the opposite side of the desk.
"My name's Martin Mavroe," the man told Daniel. "If you could, I'd like to know how you got your hands on the disk. We received a rather interesting phone call, and I'd like to hear your side of the story."
"My dad gave it to me." Daniel answered.
"Your dad? The call came from a man named Marren Walker."
Daniel's eyes widened at the man's answer.
"Last I heard," Martin continued, "he didn't have any sons. Just a daughter. Not only that, he died. Very strange."
"Marren Walker...was my grandfather."
Martin's left eyebrow raised at the boy's response.
"Well, I guess that would make sense. You look old enough to be his grandson. But that's not important. What's your father's name?"
"Zachariah. Zachariah Mellow."
"You mean from that rich family?" Martin asked out of curiosity. "This is strange."
"Did you know my grandpa? Mom says she doesn't remember much about him."
"Yeah, he used to work with me. You've ever heard of the Paradiso Group?" At this time, Martin's fingers were interlocking and he was leaning forward.
"Not really. I just know grandpa died working with them."
"Yeah, I heard. Either someone is pulling a practical joke on us, or someone just happens to have the name Marren Walker also. Where would your mother be right now?"
Daniel turned around to look at the clock hanging on the wall behind him. Six twenty-four.
"She should still be at work. She usually finishes up by now."
"I see. This has peaked my interest, so use this phone."
Daniel took the telephone that was situated on the desk and dialed his mother's cell phone number.
"Hello?" came a tender female voice on the other side.
"Mom..."
There was a change in plans. Yuusuke's family had decided to go to the mall today. Fortunately, Yuusuke had managed to inform Commander Ikari, and she said she would make the necessary adjustments. His mother was looking for new clothes and his father was going to get some hardware tools. Yuusuke on the other hand was off to GameStop, as his parents allowed him to wander off on his own when they went to the mall, just so long as he didn't get into trouble or anything. He was wondering if Commander Ikari would actually show up like she said she would. Whether or not she did, it made no difference to Yuusuke, since he would have gone to GameStop anyway.
Oddly enough, a girl was actually standing right outside GameStop holding a sign that said "Legend Zero". She was wearing brown jeans and a sleeveless green shirt, her long brown hair that tied in two ponytails that went to her thighs. Every customer that walked by either laughed, pointed, snickered, or just ignored the girl. Before Yuusuke could talk to the girl, a rather portly man working at the store walked up to her.
"Listen, I have no idea what you're doing, but it looks like you might be driving away the customers. Just, go somewhere else or I'll call security."
The girl frowned and turned away, accepting defeat at the hands of the management. She found a nearby bench and sat down, holding up her sign with little enthusiasm.
"Hey," Yuusuke said, approaching the sad girl. "I'm Legend Zero." The tone in his voice indicated that he felt awkward about the situation, but after the girl's rather embarrassing display, he told himself that he shouldn't be nervous.
"For real?" the girl asked, sounding surprisingly more perky than she looked moments ago.
"Yeah, I got your PM. What did you want to talk to me about?"
"Well, I know this might sound strange, but I'm looking for help about finding my brother. I'm starting up a search group, and I need all the help I can get."
"You asked me over an internet forum just for that?" Yuusuke asked, questioning this rather bizarre girl's motives.
"Well, the police won't help, I already got my cousin to help me."
"Sorry, I'd love to help, but this is just rather random." Legend Zero turned away, deciding he had wasted enough time.
"Aw, come on!"
"I said no. Even if you were to bribe me with a date or something, I can't help."
"Heartless little jerk."
Yuusuke sighed, compelled to listen to his conscience. "Alright, if you want, I'll help. Do you have even any idea where he is?"
The girl mumbled an incoherent response.
"What?" Yuusuke asked.
"I said he's in the Digital World." the girl said a lot more louder than necessary, confusing other passersby as well as Yuusuke.
What is this girl on? Yuusuke thought.
"Hey, Kekio!" another male voice called.
A blonde boy, looking about Yuusuke's age, ran up to Kekio holding a bag.
"About the tracker...yeah, I couldn't find it."
"Well, that sucks."
"You guys are looking for a tracker in a mall?"
"Is this that Legend Zero guy?" the boy asked.
"Yes, Derek, he said he's going to help us."
And then I'm going to find out what stuff you two are sharing.
"So, what's your name?" the girl asked. "I'm Kekio. Kekio Suzaki. This is my cousin, Derek Namio."
"Yes, he and I go to the same school. I'm Yuusuke Echizen."
Derek and Kekio each put their right hands out, Kekio's right above Derek's.
"Come on, put you're hand in." Kekio ordered.
What, you're the leader? Reluctantly, Yuusuke agreed and place his hand on top of Kekio's. Kekio and Derek simultaneously withdrew their hands and Yuusuke followed suit. What looked like this ragtag team's salute was finished.
During the time it took for Daniel's mother to arrive, Mr. Mavroe had brought him up to speed about the Paradiso group. Daniel's grandfather Marren Walker, age thirty-two at the time, had signed up as a beta tester for the "Digital World Project". Marren, in addition to about thirty-sum people, were hooked up to test a simulation. During the test run, every single one of them had died, collapsing.
"I was one of the scientists," Mr. Mavroe told Daniel. "I was Allen Fenrir's top assistant, and if the project turned out to be successful, I would have been promoted to Vice-Chairman and Allen would have been simply the Chairman. I don't know why, but the Director at that time had also volunteered as a beta tester. We had to shut the project down, and Allen was charged for the deaths of every last one of the beta testers. He took all the credit for what had happened, so the rest of us didn't even get implicated. He must have felt terrible..."
Daniel took down at his feet, grief-stricken by the tragic tale.
"So after that," Mr. Mavroe continued, "I decided to get a job here. I think my skills would have been more handy in the CSI, but beggars can't be choosers, right?"
A hispanic officer came into the office. "Sir, this kid's parents are here." He waved a folder at Daniel, though the teenager assumed the files were related to a different case. Mr. Mavroe and Daniel got out of their seats and walked up to a couple. The woman seemed to be about fourty years-old and had black hair that was tied back. She was wearing glasses, a black coat, and a purse. The man looked about a year or two older and was dressed in a suit, not that much unlike Mavroe's. The woman embraced Daniel and gave him a kiss on his forehead while the man simply shook hands with Mr. Mavroe.
The man glanced over at his son and wife before turning his attention to the police chief. "My wife called me and said my boy was over here. He's not in trouble, is he?"
Mr. Mavroe shook his head. "Oh no, quite the opposite. However, he told me you may have given him a pirated copy of a movie?"
"A pirated copy?" the man and woman repeated simultaneously.
"Yes," Mr. Mavroe answered. "It's a movie that's not to come out for a week, although I have my suspicions about this." He turned his focus to the woman. "It's been a while, Isabella. I haven't seen you since your father's funeral."
It took her a moment to realize it, but she remembered that day. He was so young back then; maybe in his late twenties.
Daniel looked up to his mother. "Mom, who told me about Paradiso. It's so sad, what happened to grandpa."
Isabella nodded. "I was younger than you are now when it happened, so I don't remember much."
"In any case," Mr. Mavroe interrupted, "I'll have some people try to work out this case."
A week later, Alex had finally managed to see Revenge of the Fallen. It was a disappointment, to say the least, but he got word from Daniel that everything was fine. Yuusuke had told him to come Staynight Avenue, saying that he wanted to show him something. It was odd but be invited by a classmate he didn't really know or like to some random place, but he had managed to catch a train to reach the place. There were many average-sized houses, but the one Alex had to go to was at a cul-de-sac. The address was 2211, which happened to be the tallest of the houses.
"Let's hope nothing happens here like at Daniel's," Alex sighed. Walking up to the doorsteps, he rang the doorbell. In just a few seconds, a girl with a pizza slice in her mouth opened the door, grabbed Alex's wrist, and dragged him inside. Alex tried several times to break free of her grip, and when he did, she just grabbed him again until he pulled her into a room where Yuusuke was looking on a computer with a blonde boy looking over his shoulder.
"Hey, Yuusuke!" the girl shouted much louder than necessary after gobbling down the last of her pizza slice. "Your friend is here."
Yuusuke turned his chair to see a rather frustrated Alex.
"Ah, you're here," he said with a smile.
"Yeah," Alex snapped. "Care to tell me why I am?"
"This weirdo dragged me into this a week ago, and I thought it would be fun to drag you into this as well."
"And you chose me because...?"
"You're pretty weird, so I figured you could easily get along with these two. You know Derek, and this girl is Kekio."
"You're Japanese?" Alex asked the girl, but he realized that was a rather rash assumption just be the name, and the girl didn't look that much Japanese.
"Half, actually," the girl corrected, apparently not all offended. "My dad's Japanese, and my mother's from the south. Her brother is Derek's father."
"Right," Alex answered. "So, what are we all supposed to be doing here?"
Derek turned from looking over Yuusuke's shoulder and told Alex, "We're looking for the Digital World."
"Right," Alex repeated, pretending to understand. "And you think you'll be successful because...?"
The room was silent except for the sound of Yuusuke's fingers hitting the keyboard unnecessarily hard. When he had finished, he moved away so that Alex could look at the screen.
"The Paradiso Group" Alex read out loud.
Yuusuke nodded. "I had to look up several things regarding the Digital World, and this is the closest thing I could get. They apparently made some virtual reality system, but the beta testers died in it."
"Okay, so why are looking for this thing?"
Kekio grabbed Alex's shoulder and turned him towards her. "To find my brother."
Alex sighed. "Sorry, but it sounds like he's dead."
Yuusuke shook his head. "I don't think so. This happened thirty years ago. Her brother only disappeared last week."
"You seem interested in this sort of thing," Alex pointed out.
"Look, I didn't want any part in this to begin with, but if we have a chance to save a lost kid, then we'll be doing a good thing."
"Are you sure you're just not trying to impress her?"
"I'm right here, you know," Kekio reminded them.
Yuusuke shrugged "No, it just feels like the right thing to do."
For some reason, ring tones seem to be blaring everywhere. Yuusuke, Alex, and Derek quickly pulled out their cellphones as Kekio ran off to get the home phone. Strangely, all of them were hearing the exact same words from the exact same voice on their phones.
"To all of you who hear this message, there is something you may want to here. A contest is being held today, and the victors shall receive their greatest adventure yet."
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Hope I didn't waste your prescious time.