Chapter Text
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As he opens his eyes, he sees a figure standing before him. His mind designates them as his Master.
Why does that feel so wrong?
“Oh good, you have awoken. I was beginning to think I messed with your data a bit too much.” Bootesmon chuckles.
The shepherd had expected a comment or even a sound, though the digimon before him stays completely silent, much to his surprise.
“Interesting. It seems that you are not a chatty person anymore. It’s quite alright, though. I do prefer the silent type in my minions.” Now if only this worked on others like it did this one.
Ah, not that it matters much. He has a mission to give. The one that had been failed by so many before him.
However, this time will be different. Not only is he under Omagatoki’s full control, the GRB in his system will make him much easier to manipulate.
“Centuriomon, I order you to bring me the Pure One. Destroy all those who stand in your way.”
He bows, and teleports out of the space, ready to fulfill his mission.
Even if a small part of the Asptolemian digimon screamed to be freed.
Even if deep down, all he wants is to ask for h-
Darkness, darkness, darkness….
The darkness is getting closer
It’s creeping all over
Time is running out
So how will you fight it off~
(AHHHHH!!!!)
It’s our time, it’s running out
Even so, we’ll keep on fighting like bulls
In a china shop
We won’t give in
We’ll blaze a path to our future
You better be prepared
cause we’re gonna bring you down
The darkness may prevail
But the light will always shine
The past remains the past,
The present will come through
So you better be ready
Cause we’re gonna utterly trounce you
Omagatoki, hinode
Yang to yin
Two sides of the same coin
Two sides of the same day
As the shadows raise the stakes (Woaahhhh)
Woahhhh,
Let yourself go
Let the countdown
Begin its toll
Kakumei wa junbi ii ka?
Even in the darkness
Our resolve stands strong
Our feet are planted,
The foundations made
So are you prepared
For the countdown’s end?
The countdown is nigh (whoa)
So you better be ready (whoa)
Tick tock, you’re not ready
We won’t give up
We won’t give in now
The darkness has a name
But so does the light
I’m falling down stairs
Is there someone there to save me?
I may be a hero,
But I’m still flawed
Kakumei wa junbi ii ka?
Oma’s time is always finite
With our swords and shields all ready
You better be ready,
cause we’re gonna hunt you down!
Amanokawa Hiro likes to think that he’s got a good sense of danger, though past situations have proven that wrong, so he doesn’t want to take any chances.
Especially not when it concerns his family.
“Ne, Solisamon? Daijoubu?” He asks as he walks closer to the Oni hybrid Digimon. He and Gammamon have just returned from yet another case that didn’t involve Oma. He’s counting his lucky stars right now since, well…
Solisamon is lying down in bed. A bit of her pink color has returned, sure, but she is still recovering her energy.
It honestly worries him that she’s been taking a while to recover, but he supposes that it makes sense considering her… unique situation.
“Imouto, we have a meeting with the others today! Wanna come?” Gammamon asks, hoping she would come this time.
She simply shakes her head. She has not been very talkative, either.
To be honest, she’s been acting off ever since their final battle against Kemonomon. Ever since Lumosmon used that one attack with the… the Endbringer. Just thinking about it sends shivers down their spines. Hiro wants to question it, but he’s not too sure about what to expect as an answer, so he lets her be for now.
“Say hi to others for me…” She murmurs before falling back to sleep.
She seems to have little energy nowadays. Even though Mummymon had told them right after the battle that her condition was near critical. Had she remained in that state a bit longer, she may have been deleted.
Well, he has Bakumon here if she needs anything. The others will be sad that she is not with him, but it can not be helped.
He nods. “Wakatta. Gammamon, ikuzo.”
Gammamon nods. “Ah!”
He turns around to give her a gentle pat on the head. “Ittekimasu, imouto!”
She doesn’t reply, but that’s fine as the two walk out the door, heading to their neighbour’s place.
The others are already there. Mei is resting on the couch while Shiramon and Jellymon were talking about a new pop concert coming soon. Meanwhile, Kiyoshiro and Ruli are chatting with Haneul about something, and Pumpmon is sitting near Mei. Bokomon-sensei is reading a book to himself, keeping himself far away from a certain wolf digimon.
Shiramon herself is keeping a distance from everyone else, twitching even while she talks to Jellymon. The reveal about her involvement with the Qwermons has really hit her hard, hasn’t it…?
“Oh, Hiro! Sure took your time,” Haneul teases.
“Wari, Haneul-senpai, I was checking in on Solisamon.”
“How is she?” Jellymon asks, worry clear on her face.
“Mummymon and Blues says it will take a few more days, but she will be okay,” Hiro reassures
“After what Lumosmon did, I think some rest is something she deserves.” Kiyoshiro nods before gesturing to his laptop. “Though cases have been coming in.”
There is one that stands out, and it makes Hiro blink in surprise as he leans in. It feels… strangely familiar.
Help! My best friend got attacked by some creature! Now he's like a statue, he can not move, blink…
A digimon wielding a hammer attacked my girlfriend! Now she looks like she is 100 years old!
My six-year-old son is in the hospital now, but whatever hurt him made him look to be in his eighties. Please help…
He frowns. “Chotto matte, this sounds like what Clockmon did before…”
“EH!? I thought he promised he would never hurt humans again!”
“Could this be Oma's doing? We deleted all the Qwermon, but…” Hiro crosses his arms a bit. He doesn’t like this one bit.
BAM! BAM! CRASH!
Suddenly, without warning, Aegiomon bursts through the door. She looks pretty upset right now…
“Why is Boss locked up?! He is being framed! He is innocent, I tell you! He’s innocent!” She yells, smashing several holes into the wall in frustration.
Haneul’s jaw drops at the damage. Why does digimon involvement always lead to property damage?!
“Chotto matte kudasai!” Hiro yelps, rushing over to try and stop Aegiomon from destroying the Akashiro household. “Aegiomon, calm down! This might just be a misunderstanding!”
“THEN WHY IS HE LOCKED UP LIKE A CRIMINAL?!” Tears are now in her eyes, ready to fall at any time. “We need to prove his innocence right now!”
What happened to listening to both sides of the story? No, instead the police came in and took Clockmon into custody without any explanation!
“We will, Aegiomon, but right now, we need you to calm down and relax. Getting angry about this won’t help anyone, least of all Clockmon,” Hiro says as he places a hand on her shoulder.
She frowns, but nods as she takes in a few deep breaths. Her therapist taught her this technique to help her when she has panic attacks, and she’s surprised to see it work here. “S-Sorry…”
“It’s okay,” he reassures her, even if he’s pretty sure Haneul might actually begin crying over the property damage…
“It says there are a total of fourteen victims. Maybe we can see if they remember anything about their attacker!” Pumpmon suggests.
“Hiro, you have seen Clockmon's ability first hand. You should go interview the victims to check if Clockmon really did this,” Haneul agrees, trying to mentally reset their mind so they can focus on the case.
“The rest of us can check on the crime scenes. That way we can try to find out if Clockmon truly did attack them,” Mei offers. “And if he did, whether he did it on his own free will or not.”
“What about me?” Aegiomon asks.
Mei walks up to her and places a hand on her shoulder. “Be there for Clockmon. He needs support in this kind of situation.”
She sniffles, but nods. Right! Clockmon was there for her before. Now it is time for Aegiomon to return the favor!
Without warning, she runs through the wall to get back to Clockmon's cell.
Gomen, Haneul. This one may be on Mei to pay for.
Haneul just facepalms. “I’ll talk to Oyaji about installing multiple entrances in the house. Just to be safe.”
“Well then, we have our objectives. Let’s split up and get to work,” Bokomon-sensei says as he hops off the sofa.
“Ah.” Hiro nods.
Then he pauses. “Chotto, Aegiomon, I might need your help!”
She pauses outside the Akashiro household. “Eh? What for?”
“We need to line up where Clockmon was during these attacks, and since he’s usually with you, it would make it easier if you come with me.”
“Of course! Anything to help my Boss!” She refuses to let him stay in that cell a moment more.
“It is odd though. Why do something now? Clockmon has mended his ways and helped us out. Why suddenly toss all that away?” Gulus could tell something was not adding up.
“We don’t know if it’s really Clockmon,” Angoramon reminds him. “So let’s not assume before reviewing the evidence.”
He hums, but says no more.
The group then goes their own ways to investigate the matter, unaware that a figure’s watching them from Hiro’s roof.
“The clock ticks on your time with her, yet you waste it on a chase of dead ends…”
With those words spoken, the figure disappears. He will take her at midnight. The Pure One his master seeks… He will take her then.
(The one he needs to cure himself from all his maladies…)
Some scenes are familiar to Hiro, but they don’t match the exact modus operandi Clockmon had used before his encounter with Gulus. For example, there wasn’t the “What time is it?~” question he usually asks his victims, and Hiro knows that Clockmon would have used it if he had returned to those times.
Not that he believes that, anyway. Clockmon’s changed a lot since then, and Hiro wants to believe that his friend’s innocent here.
There are some things that match up with his past attacks, that, and the fact that only Clockmon is known to stop time.
Gulus did mention that there was one Asptolemian who has a similar ability, but he was deleted a long time ago.
It can’t be them, really…
He pauses. But could it be?
Well, it’s not quite impossible…
“Ne, Gulus, remind me what you know of Eonmon,” he asks his partner as he, Aegiomon and Gulus head to the next hospital room.
“I only met him once, but he was a digimon completely made of time code. A giant who constantly monitored timelines, timestreams, and different dimensions.” This only shows that digimon from Asptolemia held power beyond most.
“Then he could be the true culprit! We're gotta find him!” Aegiomon looks ready to go on a man hunt for Eonmon.
“Hate to break it to you, but Eonmon is gone. He died from a time-related incident.” Gulus closes his eyes. “As far as I know, his role is vacant.”
There goes that possibility….
Hiro lets out a sigh. “Kuso… Then we’re really hitting a dead end, aren’t we?”
“Wish Solisamon could read the inner voice of those we interviewed…” Then they could see if any of them were hiding anything.
Unfortunately, it seems that until she is fully recovered, even listening to the inner voices is exhausting for her.
“We could try to catch them in the act! The attacks always start at midnight. That is when Boss and I explore various parts of Tokyo,” Aegiomon suggests.
Hiro nods. It may be their only option to prove Clockmon's innocence.
Hopefully the others had more news to share…
Haneul squats beside Bokomon-sensei in one of the crime scenes. “You know, you didn’t have to join us. I would have understood if you still needed time.”
“Haneul, lives are at stake here. If my knowledge can prove useful in this case, I will use it for that.” The steel in his tone hides the grief that’s been weighing on him ever since that fateful day, and Haneul knows that.
They sigh. “Wakatterusa, demo you can’t force yourself like this, Boko-sensei.”
“I’m not,” he promises. “I just… need time away from my grief.”
That’s understandable, at least, so Haneul just goes silent and focuses on the scene before them.
Damage to the alley consists of those of a mallet or hammer. The culprit must have struck fast because there are no signs of a struggle.
It’s evidence that suggests Clockmon is the culprit. Worse is that he was in the area at the time of the attack.
They sigh quietly. “Objectively the answer is Clockmon, unless there’s another Digimon with a mallet that we don’t know about, but that’s unlikely… Even so, Aegiomon insists he’s innocent.”
Knowing their fellow detectives, even if they manage to find his alibi, they’ll be deadset on cracking it. That’s the thing about detectives; they can be quite hardheaded and narrow-minded.
Well, not that Haneul can criticise them, since they themself had been that way before meeting Hinode.
Even so, it only complicates matters. Just what is this culprit looking for…?
It is then their phone rings with a text from Ruli. According to her, all the witnesses claim it was a digimon who had a hammer and could control time.
Sadly that only describes Clockmon.
Now the question is, was it him or could someone have been controlling him?
Haneul frowns as they look at Bokomon-sensei. “I think we may need to talk to Clockmon himself, see if he really is innocent or if there’s someone behind it. And we need to do it on our own, because the others may have biases towards him.”
They’re not as close to Clockmon as the others. Even Mei has a connection to him somehow, so they need to be the neutral party here and avoid biases if they can.
Not an easy task, but it’s part of being a detective.
Bokomon-sensei nods. “Wakatta.”
Pumpmon cheers, “Ikuyo!”
Despite themself, Haneul finds a smile forming on their lips at Pump’s enthusiasm. They know that the battles ahead won’t be that easy, but they… they hope that Pump can keep that innocence when he can.
Though it would wait until tomorrow. After all, it’s nearly midnight. They all need sleep, especially for what lies ahead.
The others are reporting that they’re heading home for the night too, so time to freshen up then get some rest.
When Hiro checks in on his Imouto, he’s surprised to see Solisamon out of bed. Her teal eyes are staring at the window, like she’s expecting something.
“Solisamon?” He blinks.
“The Guardian of Time and Space is here.” That makes the two of them freeze, even more so when Solisamon goes to open the window.
Why is she opening the window?! She is not fully recovered! Her fur has barely gotten back to pink.
Hiro goes to stop her, only to meet the eyes of the figure outside.
They are a literal giant compared to all of them combined… Is this digimon a Perfect-level, or even an Ultimate…?
W-What in the world?
Hiro takes a step back out of instinct. “W-Who are you!?”
They say nothing. Their focus is solely on Solisamon. Green eyes and teal lock on each other, nothing else matters other than the two of them.
“They’re an Asptolemian…” Gulus growls.
Another one?! Just how many are popping up?!
More importantly, is this one an ally or a foe?
Hiro slowly inches closer. He won’t break eye contact. Otherwise, the digimon may strike when he looks away.
Once he’s close enough, Hiro scoops up Solisamon, and both he and Gulus rush outside.
“Where should we go?!”
“JUST RUN!”
If they manage to get out of the neighborhood, they can set up an AR field, fight them and get some answers.
The plan seems simple, but the giant’s already ahead of them. Somehow they’ve managed to get ahead without their notice.
How they know about this?
Hiro all but SLAMS into them, making him yelp as he falls onto the ground, still gripping Solisamon tightly.
The giant looks ready to snatch her from his grip, only for an axe and a kunai to be thrown into their robotic arm.
They watch it glitch for a bit, then slowly turn.
It would seem that they may not have to hunt them all down later.
Shiramon tries to identify the new digimon, only for her visor to glitch.
“AUG!” A few shocks hit her, error screens flooding her vision.
Clearly this guy is not from the Digital World!
“Shiramon?! Daijoubu!?” Mei asks.
“A-Ah, demo I got errors when trying to identify this Digimon!” Shiramon yells back.
“I don’t know them either… This means…” Angoramon pales. “An Asptolemian?!”
“Yeah, only one that I don’t know,” Gulus admits.
This has only gotten worse. Not only is this an Asptolemian digimon, but it is one even Gulus has no knowledge of.
The giant then opens a pocket dimension, and pulls out a large war hammer. One that looks to be themed around time.
A hammer like the weapon they suspected was the weapon at the crime scenes.
Well then, it would appear a new suspect has appeared.
“We need to stop them!” Haneul’s already rushing forward. They can’t lose this opportunity to catch them!
“Kunai Storm!” Shiramon does not hesitate. She’d rather take this big guy down before they can do anything.
The mysterious digimon uses their war hammer to deflect the blades, then rushes towards them.
He must eliminate them quickly. Once all threats are defeated, only then can he deliver the Pure One with no trouble.
“Bibi Attack!” Hiro and Kiyoshiro yell at the same time, allowing Jellymon to grab onto the mystery Digimon’s wrists and give him a shock. As he stumbles back, Gammamon rushes at him, his two horns glowing and ready to attack.
Solisamon gasps, hearing something within the threat. “Jelly-Nee! Gamma-Niicha! Get away now!”
The digimon uses their surprise at Solisamon’s shout to their advantage, grabbing her feelers and flinging Jellymon into Gammamon.
“What the-”
“They managed to deflect that!?”
Mei’s eyes narrow. An unknown Asptolemian Digimon, and one that’s able to withstand an electric attack enough to do that… “What level ARE they?!”
“Perfect Level….” Shiramon answers. She can only guess by how easily they shook off their attack.
Adult levels would be affected by the attack, Ultimate-levels would not even be affected at all. So this can only be a Perfect-level.
“We may need to digivolve then!” Haneul turns to Bokomon who nods.
Just when the gauge begins to fill, the digimon raises their hammer, hitting Bokomon with some strange code.
The code fills with zeroes and ones, spreading through his entire body rapidly and freezing him completely in place.
It matches what the witnesses say that happened to a few of their friends!
This was the true culprit, and he’s framed Clockmon in the process!
Haneul’s eyes narrow, but Mei holds them back. “We can’t risk any more casualties!”
“Demo!”
“We need to keep Solisamon safe! They seem to be after her!”
They bite their lip. Right! “Hiro, run as fast as you can! We can’t let them get her!”
He nods. He doesn’t have much of a choice here, does he? “Please stay safe everyone!”
“We will! Now go!” Ruli yells, and Hiro just races away with Solisamon and Gulus in tow, leaving the rest there to face this mysterious giant.
But Solisamon is struggling now. She must not want to let the others face the foe by themselves.
“Suman, Solisamon… Demo, if that guy’s after you, we can’t take any chances…” He apologises under his breath.
Solisamon then does the unexpected. She actually bites Hiro hard.
“ITE!” He yelps, his grip loosening just enough to let her go.
“What the?!” Even Gulus’s shocked. It is not like her to behave like this.
Solisamon rushes back to the others, seeing that Haneul has also gotten frozen, and now the mysterious digimon has cornered Pumpmon.
Destroy any obstacles….
Stop…I…S-Stop!
Must obey the master's wishes! Capture the Pure One!
No….I…I…
Is their inner voice conflicting with themself?!
“Yamete!”
Everyone’s heads swivel over to her.
“Solisamon?! Why are you back here!?” Ruli gasps. “Don’t come back here! It’s dangerous!”
Solisamon ignores them, rushing over to Pumpmon and blocking the war hammer with her sword.
The giant stops.
The two share a gaze, then something unexpected happens.
The giant digimon kneels down, offering out their hand to her, a gentle welcoming smile on their face.
Solisamon puts her sword down. Despite Pumpmon tugging at her arm, she walks to the giant.
“I will go, but you will not hurt them.” It’s her only condition for surrendering herself.
“Chotto matte, Solisamon-”
He nods. All the better.
She takes the giant's hand. “Let's go home, Centuriomon.”
Centuriomon? Is that this digimon's name? Why does it look like there is some kind of connection between the two?
Gulus wants to grab her right then and there, but he pauses when he sees a black patch on Centuriomon’s arm.
That looks a lot like…..
He freezes. No, it can’t be…
She looks at Hiro. “Gomen, It’s best that I go home.”
Wait, home? Could this mean that this digimon is not affiliated with Omagatoki?!
“Is he not with Oma?” Mei’s the one who asks, eyes narrowed.
“He needs help,” is Solisamon’s cryptic answer. Hiro didn’t even KNOW that she could be so cryptic. Does she mean to help Oma with the Endbringer, or help with something else?
Centuriomon is silent, but opens a swirling vortex before them.
Scooping her up, they barely look back before stepping through, leaving them there.
“Well I think we found out the culprit at least.” Jellymon floats up, still rubbing her sore head.
“Clockmon may be able to fix the victims too, especially Haneul and Bokomon-sensei,” Ruli insists.
“That’s true.” Hiro nods. “Demo, Gulus, doshitano? You froze up back there.”
“They have GRB….” It almost sounds like a whisper, but that one whisper is as loud as a scream to Hiro.
The very thing that nearly destroyed the entire Digital World, now it’s in the very digimon who took their Imouto?!
“We need to find her!” Jellymon pales. “She could be infected with the GRB if we don’t hurry!”
“Yin was always immune. Given how Imouto Hikaru has her core, I know she has the same immunity…” But Gulus doesn’t sound too confident in his own words. After all, she is not at full strength.
Could she be in danger because of a mistake of his?
“But how do we find her?” That question from Mei makes them share glances. “We have no idea where Solisamon went, or where that Centuriomon took her.”
That’s… unfortunately a good point. They don’t have information on this new, unknown variable, except that he’s been infected by the GRB.
They’re… stuck, and it’s a hard pill to swallow.
“Suge!” This place is awesome!
It was a large plain of flowers, but the early morning makes them seem more mystical. They even give off a beautiful aroma. It makes her feel safe.
“Koko wa doko da?” She asks Centuriomon. “It’s super pretty!”
He nods before extending his hand out, hoping his true inner voice could be heard.
Please… make my pain go away, please…
It makes her pause. Make his pain go away?
“What… happened to you?” She asks gently.
He still says nothing, but shows his arm to her.
The Dark Conqueror did this, made a sickness that is slowly corrupting my mind. I need help to purge it out, please….
He can ask about freeing himself from Omagatoki later. Right now, the GRB is the bigger problem.
Her eyes widen. GRB? Dark Conquerer? Isn’t that Gulus-niicha?
He did this? He created something like this that’s been hurting others!? Why didn’t he bring it up?!
Why would he ever do something like this?
How can she help with this? She still can not use her full power in her purification ability. Can she even do it at her current condition?
Help…. Please, it hurts so much….
But she can’t turn this mon away. He’s clearly hurting right now, and the more she delays it, the worse it’ll get.
Doshio? What would Niicha do?
Wouldn’t he try to save Centurio-
Why not end his misery?
She freezes.
W-What?
End his misery? Doesn’t that mean-
“Arigatou… for ending my suffering…”
No, she swore to never take a life again! Not after Hanumon!
She can never do that again, even if it did relieve them from their pain. It is too much to ask of her. She still has nightmares from that day.
She can try to purify it from his body, but that may take a lot more energy than she currently has.
And yet, what choice does she have? Plus, it’s better if she’s exhausted compared to the thought of someone else being in suffering she could take on. After all, isn’t that what a Hero does?
She takes in a deep breath, and holds out her hand to Centuriomon.
“I… can try to purify your body, b-but I can’t promise much…” she admits quietly. “But at the very least, I can ease your suffering, I think. Ii no ka?”
Centuriomon pauses, but nods.
It’s okay, anything is better than the GRB…
Solisamon nods back, and with that, she holds out her hand, closing her eyes as she begins to put all her energy into this.
Onegai… Please work…!
“What do you MEAN you can’t let Clockmon go?!”
“Unless you have concrete evidence of this Digimon existing, he’s our only lead in the case.”
Hiro growls a bit. He knows more than anyone that this detective is looking down on them, wanting nothing more than to close this case fast without care for the victims. “Demo-”
“We have video evidence,” Mei says as she steps up with Ruli, who holds out her phone to show footage of their fight with Centuriomon.
The detective squints a bit, eyes widening in surprise. “Huh. Guess there is another one.” Here he thought they had an easy case…
“Given the new evidence, you have no reason to hold Clockmon now. I suggest releasing him. After all, he may be able to cure the others,” Mei insists.
“Wakatta, wakatta.” He gestures to one of the officers. “Oi, let him out.”
With a salute, the officer heads behind the desk, no doubt to get Clockmon free.
“I’m surprised you recorded that, Ruli-chan,” Kiyoshiro remarks as they move away from the desk.
She shrugs. “I figured it would come in handy sooner or later. Glad that I did, at the very least.”
“It’s a good thing you did, because I was certain Hiro was about to go ballistic on them,” Jellymon jokes.
“It is NOT that bad,” Hiro argues, but Ruli gives him an unimpressed look and he falters. “... Okay, maybe a little bit.”
Mei chuckles, “I would have joined you there, but let's get these two back to normal.” She points at Haneul and Bokomon.
After that, they need to find Solisamon ASAP.
“Thanks for saving my butt again, Hiro, minna,” Clockmon says as he steps out, walking over to them.
“Ii yo, ii yo. We’ll always help anyone in need.”
“But we do have a small issue that we may need help with.” Mei gestures to Haneul and Bokomon-sensei, who have been propped up to lean against the chair despite their frozen state.
He nods, getting his mallet out before he whacks both of them gently. “Chrono Breaker!”
Thankfully, luck’s on their side for once as the holographic gears fade away, leaving them blinking in surprise.
“Wait, huh, what happened?!”
“My head feels weird…”
“Welcome back to present time. You got frozen by our newest suspect,” Hiro greets drily.
“Centuriomon got Imouto….” Gammamon looks ready to cry. He’s failed to keep her safe. After all, it’s his job as an older brother to protect her, not for her to give herself up to protect him.
“Worse, GulusGammamon does not know anything about this Asptolemian digimon either, so we do not have anything to go on.” Shiramon wishes her visor could help.
“Well, what about Lavernamon?” Angoramon suggests. “In the gatherings, there have been rumours saying that two new digimon have moved into an abandoned housing complex. One of the Digimon matches Lavernamon’s exact description.”
“Great idea. Maybe she can help us follow them wherever they go,” Haneul agrees.
“If Obsherigamon is with her, too, we might be able to get extra answers on how to help Solisamon regain her strength,” Hiro adds.
“Ah, that is true.”
“Then we head off to that abandoned housing complex?” Jellymon asks, already cracking her knuckles a bit. She’s already a bit annoyed about this entire thing, so any refusals won’t be acceptable to her.
“We head off to that abandoned housing complex.” Ruli nods.
They can only hope that those two have the answers that they need.
Otherwise, they stand no chance at all.
Centuriomon watches Solisamon with a frown. Is she okay? …
She’s managed to heal only half of the GRB while allowing him to resist the commands, though only by a bit.
At least now he can think freely, but he will not risk talking till he is fully cured.
Right now, Solisamon is making flower crowns, a tender smile on her face. It’s still hard to believe that this digimon is Lumosmon’s Child form.
That gets him thinking. Taking her back to Asptolemia will keep her away from dangers, but it also means she can never go to Earth again.
He needs to choose quickly, otherwise the commands will eventually overwhelm him, and he… he’ll be bringing her straight to Oma…
“I will go.”
What did she just say?!
He freezes. Go… where?
Solisamon’s finished her flower crown, but she looks up at him. “Iku.”
But.. where?
She then offers the crown to him, giving him a gentle smile. It reminds him of Lumosmon, always the kind to take pleasure in the simple things.
He takes it, looking back at those teal orbs. There is no way that Oma is getting her. This child is far too innocent for their plans.
There’s only one place left to go, then.
Bringing her home to Asptolemia, where she’ll be safe from their nefarious plans.
Better to get her far away from the one who caused all this pain. He promises GulusGammamon will pay for all this pain eventually, but right now, he has something more important to do.
“NANDATE?!”
Let’s just say that the two Asptolemians are not taking the news well.
“You were supposed to protect her! How could you just let him take her?!” Lavernamon wants to say more, but Obsherigamon stops her.
He looks quite troubled, surprisingly, as he asks, “You say that he had the GRB?”
Hiro nods. “Whatever was in his heart was enough to convince Solisamon that he could be trusted. What do you know about this Digimon?”
“Well he is the newest leader who took over for Eonmon after his deletion. He is the Keeper of Space and Time. I know that Lumosmon was training him before her disappearance, at least,” Lavernamon answers, even if a small part of her still wants to punch them.
Not only is Centuriomon infected with that poisonous stuff, he left his post… That has consequences to itself…
“Wait, he’s the newest leader?” Ruli repeats. “But didn’t Gulus say that-”
“Leaders leaving their areas have consequences? Yes, there are.” Obsherigamon nods. “It didn’t apply to GulusGammamon because he had resigned from his post beforehand, but leaders leaving their areas without a proper reason is… I would say, bad.”
“It seems like we may have to do that thing, a bit earlier than we planned.” Lavernamon looks at Obsherigamon.
They had been planning on doing this a bit later, but given the situation, they have no choice.
The kids share a glance.
“What thing?” Mei asks curiously.
“We’ve been observing you all for a while. Seeing as the fight against Asptolemians can be harder for those not equipped to fight…” Obsherigamon begins, pulling out five chips that glow with a powerful energy.
“We are gonna upgrade your VR bracelets.” Lavernamon then looks at the digimon. “While I give you Child-levels a nice power up of your own!”
“Wait, WHAT?! Upgrades?!” Hiro’s eyes widen.
“Suge! You guys can do that!?” Gammamon’s tail wags.
“Hai~ We got permission from a few of the leaders to do this. Considering how you all have proven trustworthy, we all decided to give you a bit of an edge,” Lavernamon explains.
Against someone like Centuriomon, these kids are going to need all the help they can get.
Especially against the threat of the Endbringer themselves…
“I can give you all a bit of my data to give you unique abilities.” Lavernamon smiles.
Then she frowns at Gammamon. “Even a certain Whimpymon named GulusGammamon.”
“Nanka kakoi!” Ruli comments with a smile. “I’m not going to lie, that is going to be quite the edge against Omagatoki!”
“Lumos-chan reached out to Obsherigamon a bit before her disappearance and gave him those chips. It’s just a theory, but I think she prepared in advance,” Lavernamon admits, focusing a bit of data into her paint.
“Wait, so she was already aware of the Digivices before we even met?” That catches Haneul off guard.
Hiro hums. It does make sense… Lumosmon had seemed aware of him, even remorseful at that time.
But even then… “How did she know?”
Lavernamon shoots a look at Gammamon. Clearly, the dark one within still has said nothing.
Heh, that’s to be expected, she supposes. What a wimp…
“Well, another leader has the ability to look into the future. Lumos-chan must have learned about it from them,” Lavernamon confesses as she finishes the paint balls.
Obsherigamon hums. He’s suspected that as well, considering that the chips were crafted by the Sagacity of Asptolemia.
If Lumosmon had informed them of what she had learned, they would make the chips, regardless of whether the digivices’ existence was known or not……
“That’s… oddly convenient, but it’s definitely something good. We’ll need all the help we can get against Oma.” Mei sighs. “Sorede? Which one do we get first? The chips or the upgrades?”
“Both!” Lavernamon suddenly throws the paint at the digimon, allowing the Asptolemian DNA data to merge with their own.
She might have intentionally hit Gammamon in the face, but it could have been accidental.
Obsherigamon then hands the chips out. “These need to be inserted in a hidden slot.”
“A hidden slot?” Haneul repeats, checking their Digivice with a frown on their face. “I don’t see one, though.”
Walking over to Mei, Obsherigamon grabs her wrist gently and presses the left button twice and the center button, allowing a new slot to reveal itself.
Everyone’s mouths go wide open.
“Blues or Hokuto never mentioned anything like that!” Ruli blinks rapidly.
Then again, could it be a hidden feature that Quantumon added with the upgrade?
Regardless, Mei nods in gratitude and inserts the chip.
Her VR bracelet screen flashes brightly, before turning into a black color as a symbol appears for a brief second.
Shiramon feels a new power surge in her body. She can’t really describe it, but it feels like a new ability has been bestowed upon her.
Kiyoshiro follows suit, inserting the chip once the slot pops up, and as it shines, the VR bracelet’s colour shifts to pink.
Jellymon grins as the power fills her. “Not gonna lie, this is an awesome upgrade!”
“Jellymon is glowing!” Gammamon beams, seeing her body glowing.
“Is this… bioluminescence?” Haneul blinks in surprise.
Bioluminescence is commonly seen in jellyfish. Could it be an ability among aquatic digimon in Asptolemia?
“Medhalẽmon has this ability too, though she rarely turns it on,” Obsherigamon explains. “It’s very useful when searching the deep waters or dark hallways, especially since you can control the amount of light.”
“That’s pretty neat!” Jellymon spins around. “But how do I turn it off?”
“You can turn it off by thinking about it,” Lavernamon says.
“So like, off-” The glow disappears. “Huh! That’s cool!”
The others then insert their chips, changing the colour of their Digivices. Hiro gets red, purple and blue, Haneul gets white and orange, and Ruli gets yellow.
Hiro smiles. Yokatta! Now all they need to do is track Centuriomon down-
Nii-chan does not need a troublesome soul like me, so it is better if I go. He does not need a useless imouto like me….
He freezes. Wait, that voice…
“Solisamon?” He calls out. “What do you mean by that?”
Wait, how can he hear her? She is not anywhere close by to them, so…
Could she have gotten a new ability as well?
Her voice is echoing inside his mind. Was it some kind of telepathic link?
His eyes widen. If that’s the case… Solisamon! Kiko eru ka?! Can you hear me?!
Niicha? How can I hear you?
Hiro can’t believe it, and it brings a grin to his face. Lavernamon and Obsherigamon gave our Digivices an upgrade! Everyone’s gotten something to help them fight against Oma!
Sokka, yokatta ne… That means I can say goodbye without feeling bad, Niicha….
Goodbye? Wait, did Centuriomon already hand her over to Oma?!
Solisamon, why are you saying goodbye?! Where are you?!
Going to Asptolemia. Now you will be safe. Centuriomon says it is better for everyone, because I only bring danger.
His eyes widen. Could she be blaming herself for Omagatoki and the Rampazettomon incident?
He had assumed she had been quiet due to the exhaustion, but her silence could also be tied to guilt.
Hiro curses under his breath. Yabai! How could he have missed the signs?! It wasn’t your fault, Solisamon! They’re the ones who are choosing to attack! Don’t blame yourself for things THEY did!
They will not stop till they get me, though. If I am out of reach, then you all are safe.
Solisamon-
We are resting at the park near home, then we leave…
His eyes widen. Chotto matte, can’t we talk it out, Solisamon?! I-
“Hiro, what’s going on?” Ruli asks with a frown.
He snaps out of his trance, shaking his head. What the- No, he doesn’t have time! “Solisamon’s at the park near Mikaigou with that new Digimon! We have to hurry, she’s planning on leaving for Asptolemia soon!”
“EH!?”
“We have to head there NOW then!”
They can’t let Solisamon be taken by that new Digimon!
“Arigatou for the upgrades, but we really have to go!” Haneul makes sure to thank the two Digimon before they rush out of the room, leaving the two there.
Lavernamon and Obsherigamon share a glance.
“I just hope they manage to save Solisa-chan…” Lavernamon says.
Obsherigamon hums. “I trust they will. The question now is, will they be able to master their new skills in time…?”
Centuriomon’s inner voice is telling her that it’s time to go. She thought she was ready to leave, but then why is she now hesitant?
Could it be because she wants to stay?
No. That will only bring danger to her family and friends!
Her mere presence has already caused so much harm to them! She can’t afford to let them get hurt!
Yet why does her heart say to stay? Why is every bit of her core telling her to not go?
Centuriomon looks over to her, and blinks, but just as he’s about to ask what’s going on, a familiar pain returns.
No! Not right now! I can not give in! She is not going to them!
Solisamon snaps out of it, turning over to him with a frown. “Them? Dare da?”
Centuriomon hunches over, wincing, but then he goes silent. Something feels… wrong. Even his inner voice has gone silent.
“Centuriomon?” Solisamon approaches him. “Daijoubu?...”
No response. It only makes her take a step back.
But then he turns around, and his inner voice is clear.
Capture the Pure one. Bring her to Omagatoki.
Her heart drops. No! She refuses to go to Omagatoki!
She tries to run, but she is grabbed before she can even try. She struggles to get free, though she is powerless against a Perfect-level.
Niichan… Dare ga, tasukete…
Hiro hears that loud and clear, and he quickens his footsteps as the group reach the intersection closest to the playground’s entrance. Matteru yo, Solisamon! We’re almost there!
Gammamon flies ahead of them, and upon seeing his Imouto in Centuriomon’s grip, his eyes narrow before he gives a full powered Horn Attack to knock him over, allowing him to grab Solisamon.
“Imouto, daijoubu?!” He checks her over.
“H-heki yo…” She gasps.
The rest of the team moves to stand in front of her, all their eyes narrowed at the Perfect level in front of them.
“This is not going to be an easy fight.” Mei prepares her fists. “But we need to go all out if we want to protect Solisamon.”
“Agreed.” Haneul grabs their taser out, activating it while holding it in front of them like some sort of sword. “Spread out and attack that way?”
“He is under Omagatoki's control! He isn’t evil!” Solisamon insists. “Onegai, he needs help!”
She can try her purification again, but can she even do it? She could barely do the last one and even then it barely lasted.
Can I help him? I-I…
Hiro hears it loud and clear. That desire to help.
It makes him pause. Maybe… Maybe there is a way to resolve this properly.
He goes to his knees to meet her eyes. “You really want to help him, don’t you?”
She nods. “He is my friend! I want to help him no matter what!”
Hiro smiles a bit. “Then I’ll help you. Let’s try this together.”
Solisamon pauses, then smiles brightly. “Iku!”
Matteru yo, Centuriomon, we will free you from Omagatoki’s control!
Hiro knows that the Digivices have a way of boosting power, so if he can provide a boost to Solisamon, then it’s possible they can free him!
“Minna, can you distract him?” He turns to the others. “Just enough for Solisamon to purify him.”
Ruli nods. “Wakatta!”
“Everyone, do not let him touch you with his mallet! Attack with long range attacks or be quick with close range! Prioritise fast movement!” Mei orders.
“Oh!”
“Trick or Rift!” Haneul starts off, allowing Pump to throw his huge pumpkin at his fellow Perfect level before Bokomon-sensei blasts him with water.
“Kunai Storm!” Shiramon follows it up with some kunais. One gets logged into Centuriomon's shoulder, and it’s now covered in water.
It’s the perfect set up for the next move incoming.
“Bibi Thunder!” Kiyoshiro commands, and Jellymon grins as she nods. “Wakatta!”
Extending a tentacle to the kunai, she unleashes a strong electric shock, making Centuriomon stumble back.
“Petit Tornado!” Angoramon’s attack then knocks away the hammer. That means he can’t freeze them anymore!
Unfortunately, his time abilities are not his only way to attack.
Centuriomon’s eyes turn yellow all of a sudden as his appearance slowly changes to resemble a familiar god of thunder, the Greek god Zeus.
“I… have a really bad feeling about this,” Haneul says as they back away, eyes already scanning the area for any material they can use to ground electricity.
Mei already had an idea on what to do, though. “Mass Fog!”
Shiramon nods and summons the fog, before impaling several kunais into the ground.
“I’m starting to think you’re a mind reader,” Haneul jokes.
Mei smirks back. “Maybe it’s the amount of times we’ve worked together. Plus, you really are an open book.”
“I will take that as a compliment! Boko-sensei, Monoshiri Book: Steel Arrow!”
Bokomon-sensei grins before he opens his book, allowing steel arrows to form and shoot towards the kunai.
Once they get close enough, the arrows seem to morph, attaching themselves to the kunai so that it extends, growing taller around Centuriomon.
Shiramon smiles at the professor, but his only response is glaring at her as he grunts. “It’s just normal business. Don’t get it twisted.”
She winces. Right, he’s still mad about Arbormon, which, to be fair, she understands.
Though at least they made it to the point where they can do combos again, so progress!
Unaware of their new trap, Centuriomon gathers electricity in his palms before he slams them onto the ground with such force.
The ground would have been an electrical field, if it were not for the kunais and the morphed arrows. They shot the electricity straight back into the deeper ground, grounding it.
“Should we evolve into our Adult forms?!” Ruli grips her Digivice tight.
“It might be for the best!” Kiyoshiro agrees.
“Let’s not waste any time then!” Mei holds up her wrist. “Evolution time!”
Ruli and Kiyoshiro do the same as the codes spiral around their partners, encasing them in Digitamas before breaking open to reveal Hanshiramon, SymbareAngoramon, and TeslaJellymon.
“Gammamon, shall we do one of the combos we’ve been working on for a while now?” Bokomon-sensei asks.
“Oh!” Gammamon nods in reply. He’s ready to go all out to protect his Imouto!
“Swarming Claw!” Haneul commands.
Gathering energy in his left arm, Gammamon rushes in and swings at Centuriomon. All the while, Bokomon-sensei opens his book, allowing the electric bugs to fly out and swarm the bigger mon.
Centuriomon stumbles back a bit, allowing the swarming insects to freeze him in place momentarily.
“Breaking Stream!” Ruli yells, and SymbareAngoramon nods, creating the tornado and sending it straight towards Centuriomon.
“Follow up with Vorsprite!” Kiyoshiro continues on.
Teslajellymon grins as she lets the electricity course through her body before she rams into Centuriomon, hopping away before he can grab her. “Missed me!~”
In response, Centuriomon’s eyes change to a purplish black as he soon takes on a form that resembles a certain death god.
“Think he is Hades?” Pumpmon asks, only to be pushed away by Hanshiramon from a massive dark blast.
“Let’s not find out,” the wolf digimon insists, holding her katanas tight.
They just need to stall for a bit and ensure Hiro and Solisamon have a clear shot at fully purifying Centuriomon. It was risky, but hey, most of their battles are risky anyway, so it’s nothing they’re not used to.
“Dodge!” Mei yells when another dark blast comes their way, allowing the others to avoid it. Thankfully, it’s not in range of Hiro and Solisamon, meaning they can focus on gathering all their energy for this one attack.
“We need to get him to stop shifting into those forms. Otherwise, we’ll just be dodging the whole time!” TeslaJellymon comments.
She’s right, though. They have been lucky so far, but it won't be long before one ends up hitting Hiro or Solisamon, which is definitely something they all want to avoid.
“How do we do that, then?” Haneul brings up a good point. “Unless we overwhelm him enough that he won’t be able to switch forms…?”
“He does seem to be a fusion between man and machine, so perhaps enough electricity will do the trick?” Kiyo suggests.
The electricity did seem to stun him, but only for a few moments. Though if they add water to the equation, it might paralyze him just long enough.
If that’s the case, time for a TeslaJellymon and Bokomon-sensei combo!
“Boko-sensei! Ruis Rift!”
Bokomon-sensei smirks as he opens up the book, allowing the water droplets to form before they turn orangey-red, rushing at Centuriomon and dousing him in water.
“TeslaJellymon! Punishune!” Kiyoshiro follows up.
She grins, her belts suddenly wrapping themselves around Centuriomon before she unleashes her electricity, striking Centuriomon hard and paralysing him for some time.
Hanshiramon and SymbareAngoramon follows that up with a combo of Jive and a few sword slashes, which does manage to send him back a bit more.
“Keep up the pressure!” Mei chances a glance behind her. “I think Hiro and Solisamon are almost done!”
Gammamon and Pumpmon then rush in with Gammamon slashing at him with Breaclaw while Pumpmon uses Surprise. The axe strikes Centuriomon right in his center, and this time, it looks like he left a serious injury.
But he’s not done yet, as his eyes turn silver. His body then begins to absorb the axe, using it to mend his injured body. This new form seems to be based around weapons of ancient Greek times.
“And now he has a healing form… Why does that not surprise me…?” Haneul grunts. “Doesn’t seem like we’re slowing him down, though.”
“Well why don't we attack while he is in the middle of transforming?” Pumpmon asks with a shrug.
It does seem to be the only option they have not tried yet, so why not?
“Gammamon, Hanshiramon, TeslaJellymon, we are going for that trio combo move we have been working on!” Haneul calls out.
“Ooooh yay!” Gammamon’s excited even as he dodges a blade hurled at him.
“You sure? That one always involves me getting mega zapped!” Hanshiramon just got rid of the static from last time!
“It’s our last chance to stun him and keep him in place!”
She grunts. They do bring up a good point! “Wakatta! Ikuzo!”
She really hates this combo, though it is pretty effective at what it does.
“Ikuzo!” Gammamon cheers, and the three move into position as Haneul commands, “Horn Attack!”
The ceratopsian Digimon nods, rushing at Centuriomon and dodging the weapons aimed his way before driving his horns into what he hopes is not machinery.
“Please be gentle….” Hanshiramon pleads softly, feeling TeslaJellymon's feelers wrap around her arms.
She really, really, REALLY hated this combo!
“I will,” she promises. “So you better hang on tight!”
She feels the electricity course through her entire body, but she bears with the pain until the electricity is channeled solely into her katanas.
The electricity merges with the black flames on the katanas, allowing the two elements to join as one.
It’s an amazing technique combination, at the cost of Hanshiramon getting static fur for a week.
“Electric Fire Attack!” Haneul, Kiyo and Mei chorus as the wolf Digimon throws her katanas at Centuriomon.
It hits him point blank as Gammamon dodges out of the way, making him stumble back with a growl.
It looks like the plan worked though, because when Centuriomon tries to go into another form, he instead to normal.
“Yosh! Oi, Hiro, Solisamon, you guys ready?”
Hiro looks over and nods. “Ah, we are!”
Solisamon's eyes are glowing white as a bright yet warm light comes from her. However it is not as bright as it normally is, which Hiro and Gammamon notice.
Could it be because she is still recovering? That has to be it right?
Hiro files that away to be figured out later. “Minna, get out of the way!”
Everyone practically scrambles out of the way, not wanting to be in the blast radius, before Solisamon unleashes the energy in one gigantic blast.
Hiro’s Digivice flashes slightly, but it’s overshadowed by the light that’s overwhelming Centuriomon as he hisses in pain.
At first, it seems like the purification was not enough, that it would fail like before.
Then one by one, the other digivices glow, adding their power to the light.
“Huh? Wait, is this Lumosmon’s light? Does that mean that we all can purify?” Ruli blinks.
“Heh, well it would be bad if we put everything on her. We are a team, so why not share the responsibility too?” Mei smirks, not minding a new way to stop Oma.
“Then shall we join in and help?” Haneul grins while holding up their Digivice.
“Sounds like a plan!” Ruli smiles as she raises her own Digivice up.
The other two raise their Digivices up too, and the light grows stronger, completely overtaking Centuriomon.
With a loud scream, a burst of light blinds them all for a bit, making them cover their eyes instinctively.
Once the light recedes, there’s only silence.
As they open their eyes again, Centuriomon walks up to Hiro, his eyes locked on to the human.
“I like to apologize for what I did under Omagatoki’s influence. You have my gratitude for freeing me from both my plagues.” He bowed.
“By the other plague, you mean…”
“The GRB…” Gulus confirms. “I… have no excuse for what I did.”
“No you do not. Honestly, you should be put in our prison for the crimes you have done, though it seems you are needed here.” Centuriomon frowns
Gulus just looks away, and Centuriomon notes that there’s an… element of shame in his eyes.
It reminds him of something his teacher told him, something he never truly believed until now.
“He may seem black hearted, but he does have a good soul. He simply is learning how to express it.”
“She might have been right about you,” Centuriomon whispers before flinching. “Ugh…”
It seems they did some decent damage to his cybernetic side, which honestly surprises him, but he supposes that they have gotten stronger, which is a good thing.”
“Do you need help?” Kiyoshiro asks. “We have doctors and mechanics here, they can-”
He raises a hand. “No need. It’ll… heal with time.”
He needs to return to his post soon. If the creator learns that he left, the pain that he’s feeling now will feel like a paper cut.
He originally came to bring the Hero to safety, but it seems that she is far safer here. Even so, he will be keeping an eye on them through the rifts.
He looks at them, and bows slightly. “Please, take good care of her. She is very important, both for the fight against Omagatoki and in Asptolemia.”
The group shares a glance, but Hiro shrugs. “It’s what we were already doing, so nothing’s changed in that regard.”
“You have my thanks for that.” He is about to turn away, but then he pauses.
He might as well tell GulusGammamon what happened to her… He deserves that at least.
“Your caretaker has been reborn.” That is all that needs to be said for GulusGammamon to understand.
His eyes widen. “W-What? She’s been…” His tone wavers. “Aresintlaxmon’s been…”
“Reborn, yes. She is recovering with the leader in charge of the digitamas of Asptolemia,” Centuriomon confirms. He can tell this is more of a relief than a shock.
Gulus sways a bit, settling his feet on the ground. “Does she… does she remember me? Or… Was she reborn?”
“Visit her one day to find out.”
With that said, Centuriomon taps his hammer to the ground twice, allowing a rift to open up before him. He’ll have to see what trouble has occurred while he was under Omagatoki’s control. He estimates that it will take a long time to mend things.
“Will you be okay, though?” Hiro asks. “You were brainwashed by Omagatoki…”
“I will be fine. I just need time to rest and recover. Though that will have to wait until I’ve finished putting things back where they should be.”
“Just… don’t push yourself too hard,” Ruli says. “You deserve rest too.”
In spite of himself, a small smile forms on his face. “I… will try.”
These kids still have a lot to learn, but if they could help him, then maybe they do have a chance.
Though he can sense that something will happen to each of them. Each of them shall face a trial.
Whether they overcome it and grow stronger, or fall to their troubles, that is up to them.
It is said that one shall fall to darkness if they can not overcome their issues.
He can only hope that it doesn’t happen to them.
With that, he steps through the portal, and it closes behind him, leaving them all there.
When the program fails to pick up Centuriomon’s signal, Bootesmon knows that it can only mean one thing; Hinode has actually managed to free Centuriomon.
It makes him grit his teeth as he glares at the screen, rising from his seat. “So it seems that they have far more tenacity than I anticipated.”
A wild grin then forms on his face. “No matter. I suppose it IS time to finally reveal ourselves to the public eye.”
“It’s time for Omagatoki to finally make its debut!~”
The pages of a story never seem to end
But even if you reach the final page
Their story goes on.
What truly happens after the war is won?
There is peace and silence,
The survivors move on.
But deep down...
Broken hearts echo all the more.
But deep down...
Nightmares keep you up all night long.
Trouble may hunt you down like bloodhounds,
They may be attracted like bees to honey
But know this one fact, my dear friends;
You are not alone, oh, you're not alone.
Things may make you want to break down,
Things may break your heart more
Than you ever needed.
But you kept on going,
And for that, I thank you,
For always standing strong.
Thank you for existing,
in our lives....
Thank you, dear friends,
Trouble's just a mile away~