//------------------------------// // A Promise Kept // Story: Digimon Codex // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// Inside a forest of the Digital World, a war was being raged by a bunch of different Digimon. Many Virus Digimon were battling it out against a combination of Free, Vaccine, Data and even a few Virus Digimon, who were doing whatever it took to keep the place from getting overrun. But it was a losing battle. In one section of the forest, an Ikkakumon was using its Harpoon Torpedo attack to blast a bunch of IceDevimon out of the sky. But every time he blasted one, another took its place. "Cold Breath!" They all cried, as icy shot out of their mouths and flew down towards the Ikkakumon. Doing so caused the forest around him to freeze up solid, but Ikkakumon was completely unphased. Luck, good for Ikkakumon and bad for the IceDevimon, had caused these two winter Digimon to appear with one another on the battlefield. And now, Ikkakumon was gonna take full advantage of it. "My turn!" He cried once the icy wind subsided, "Northern Light!" Like the IceDevimon, super cold air exploded out of him mouth and shot up towards them. The ice demons cried out, as the lot of them were beginning to freeze over. Unlike Ikkakumon, their ice control didn't give them its resistance. "Harpoon Torpedo!" One they were frozen solid, the giant walrus fired the horn from his head. They shot through the air towards the IceDevimon status and pieces through several, shattering the ice and the Digimon inside of it. The horns then split apart, revealing the hidden torpedoes. These rockets flew through the air and struck the rest of the frozen IceDevimon, shattering them entirely. Ikkakumon panted as he watched the remains of the IceDevimon exploded into data. He was glad they were gone and even more glad that their ice attacks had left him a nice frozen spot to cool down as her prepared for the next fight. Explosions could be heard coming from every direction, Ikkakumon just hoped they were being caused by his allies. If all went well, then MagnaAngemon or one of the other leaders of the resistance would acquire the Dragon Soul Stone and Digivolve into one of the Four Great Dragons. And Ikkakumon would do whatever it took to keep the Virus Digimon away from them. Alas, things were never that simple. "Justice Strike!" Out of nowhere, a barrage of energy bullets flew out of the trees and slammed into Ikkakumon's side. He screamed in pain, as he was knocked flying backwards by the assault. He then crashed into a tree and fell to the ground, as the one attacking him stepped into the light. Armormon marched forward, his metal legs cracking the ice with every step he took. Ikkakumon groaned as he picked himself up, seeing the Ultimate Level Virus staring him down. "No," he moaned out, "I won't let you...pass." He pointed his horn at Armormon, but the Digimon suddenly vanished. "Surprise Attack!" Ikkakumon spun around, but Armormon's shoulder mounted blasters had moved up and were now pointed directly at his face. The energy quickly charged up and exploded out of them, hitting Ikkakumon point blank. His scream of agony reverberated throughout the forest, as his physical form was destroyed and the data that made him up was sent off to be remade and reincarnated at Primary Village. The light and smoke of the explosion died down, Armormon left standing looking rather disappointed. "Is that really the best this resistance has to offer?" He shook his head, "what a letdown." As he said that, he heard a large explosion coming from the centre of the forest. This made him smirk under his mask, as he realised the leader of their army had gotten to the stone. Now he just needed to wait for it to power up and touch it first. But to do that, he needed to eradicate anyone that got in his way. "V-Breath Arrow...MAX!" Veedramon unleashed the giant V-Nova Blast. The energy rocketed across the battlefield, burning a few tree trunks in the process, but struck several Woodmon and a few Cyclonemon. The energy consumed them and they all roared, as they were deleted along with the remaining Flymon that had allowed them to get this far. Seeing there were no more opponents to battle, they all panted as the exhaustion from the battles caught up with them. "Catch your breath," Unimon announced. "I doubt they're gonna give us much room to breathe." They all nodded and some of the smaller Digimon sat down. "Maybe that's the last of them?" Hudiemon asked, "maybe the Dragon Soul Stone will be activated soon and-" She didn't get to finish for in that moment, a loud explosion made them all stand up and turn in the direction of the Soul Stone. "What was that?" FlameWizardmon asked, with Aurumon flying up above the trees. There he saw a large smoke cloud, coming from where the Dragon Soul Stone was supposed to be. Then, something broke out through the canopy. WarGrowlmon, with MagnaAngemon and Baoyendramon flying out after him to battle. "Not good." He flew back down, "a Virus somehow got passed the defence. It's battling the resistance leaders right now." "My sister?" Gatomon asked, looking worried. "I didn't see her." Gatomon turned to charge towards the battle, but Dorulumon stepped on her tail and stopped her. "Wait, we can't just leave. Our job is to keep the enemy from getting to them. They have enough problems with one Virus without them facing more problems." Gatomon frowned, clearly not liking the idea of leaving her sister to face such danger. But before she could argue, something caused her attention to be pull away from the battle going on. Suddenly, she and the other Digimon on the ground felt it shake ever so slightly. "What was that?" Veedramon asked, only for it to shake again. Then again and again. They all knew what this was. Footsteps. "Something's coming," Apemon stated. The footsteps grew stronger and more rapid, as the sound of a tree falling down made them turn towards it. "Something big." "Everyone get ready!" Unimon yelled, "there's no telling what could be coming." They all got into a battle ready stance, as a shadow appeared behind some of the larger trees. And as it pushed its way through, they saw a set of massive metal claws tear through the tree trunks. "What is that thing?" ToyGreymon asked, as the beast came into view and revealed itself to be a thirty foot armored beast with giant claws and a bladed tail. The massive Digimon marched forward and looked down upon the smaller Digimon, the largest of them being Veedramon who was only a third of its full height. Mothmon broke the silence, knowing this Digimon. "Therizinomon!" "Is that what I think it is?" Pteryxmon asked, with Mothmon nodding. "Yeah, an Ultimate Level Cyborg-type Virus Digimon. It can cut through anything with its Claw Blade attack and its Laser Sharp attack is hotter than the sun." Everyone gulped, as Therizinomon stared down at them. It then raised its large clawed gauntlet and prepared to strike. "Everyone move!" Sunflowmon yelled, as she and the other flying Digimon took to the air. Those on the ground went into a mad dash, attempting to escape the incoming attack. Therizinomon swung its claw down and struck the ground, causing the Earth all around it to break apart and shake as multiple fissures broke out of the ground. Those on the ground screamed, as they did their best to keep from being swallowed by the Earth, whilst the ones in the sky went on the attack. "Aerial Attack!" Unimon launched the sphere of light from her mouth, whilst Aurumon flew up towards its head. "Infrared Ray!" The lasers exploded out of his eyes, but Therizinomon moved its head so the helmet on it blocked the beams. "Sunshine Beam!" Sunflowmon laughed her attack at the Digimon's head, hoping to blind it. But Therizinomon dodged the attack and spun around to try and slam his tail into her. "Wow!" She dodged it, but the wind this caused pushed her backwards until she crashed into a tree. "Dancing Sword!" Darcmon slashed at Therizinomon, but the beast raised its metal claws in defence and the blade shattered against it. "How?" "Spiral Impact!" Mothmon flew towards the claws and dug his drill tail into it, but the Armor Digimon's weapon was weaker than the metal that made up the Ultimate's armoring. As such, Therizinomon didn't feel a thing and simply knocked the flying bug away. "Mothmon!" Stingmon flew over and caught him, using a tree as a landing pad as he checked his partner. "You okay?" "Chrome Digizoid," Mothmon groaned. "That armor's gonna be tough to get through." Stingmon frowned, not liking the sound of that. And as he looked over at the beast, the Digimon on the ground rushing forward. "V-Nova Blast!" Veedramon roared as he unleashed the blue energy ball, which flew up and exploded against the Ultimate's stomach. But the explosion did little to no effect against it. "Flame Ignition!" FlameWizardmon launched the fire from his hands, whilst Ballistamon primed his speaker system. "Seismic Speaker!" The flames and sonic blast flew up and struck Therizinomon, but did as little damage against it as the V-Nova Blast. Arbormon and Apemon rushed forward, Apemon pulling his bone club off his back. "Mega Bone Stick!" He threw it at Therizinomon, whilst Arbormon launched his fists flying. Both attacks collided against the Ultimate's metal arm, but also did nothing. "Wildfire Wingbeat/Strong Carapace!" Pteryxmon and Tortomon launched their attacks, the spikes and fires slamming into the giant's stomach with no visible effects. "What the heck is this guy made of!?" Pteryxmon cried, as Lekismon, Gatomon, Dorulumon and ToyGreymon charged forward. "Crystal Barrage!" Sorcerimon swung her staff around and unleashed a burst of icicle spears towards the large Digimon "Hydro Pump/Gargo Pellets!" Dilemon and Gargomon both fired a blast of water and a barrage of bullets, which struck the Ultimate along with the icicles. But these attacks did absolutely nothing against the Ultimate, whilst the other Digimon finally reached it. "Moon Night Kick!" Lekismon leapt up and spun around, performing a diving kick against the giant's leg. But the muscular limb was so strong, the impact did nothing against. it. "Lightning Paw!" Gatomon leapt up and tried punching it in the stomach, only to bounce off the beast with Darcmon catching her. "It's too strong." "Plastic Horns Attack!" ToyGreymon rammed her head into its foot, her three plastic horn digging into the beast. But it didn't even scratch the skin, as Dorulumon slammed his tail drill into the other foot. "Drilling Impact!" This actually seemed to do something, but Therizinomon seemed to have had enough of them attacking it. It raised both arms as the metal claws coming out of its gauntlets extended to three times their normal size. They then started glowing, Unimon seeing this and gasping. "Everyone get out of there!" But Therizinomon was faster. "Claw Blade!" It swung its massive claws around and dug into the ground, creating three massive trenches in the Earth. The impact sent rocks and dirt flying everywhere, the force hitting Lekismon, ToyGreymon and Dorulumon. They all screamed out, as the rock and dirt smashed into them and they were sent flying. their partners all quickly rushed over to help them. They crashed into the ground, whilst Therizinomon spun around and slashed at the Digimon in the air with its tail blade. The weapon cut through a bunch of trees as it attempted to knocked out those in the air. "EVERYONE MOVE!" Aurumon cried, attempting to fly away. But a falling tree crashed into him whilst Sunflowmon, Darcmon and Gatomon were knocked flying by the tail's impact. "NO!" Unimon cried, only to hear Veedramon roar as he charged at the Ultimate. "Don't!" Gatormon and Stingmon charged as well, Veedramon tackling Therizinomon and actually pushing him backwards a little. This allowed Stingmon to pick up Gatormon and throw him at the Ultimate's chest, whilst he flew straight up towards its head. "Spiking Strike!" The insect Digimon summoned his energy blade and charged, attempting to impale its head with his stinger. At the same time, Gatormon clung onto its chest armor and climbed up towards its shoulder. "Ice Fang!" He bit on his shoulder, the ice beginning to spread out from his mouth and cover the Cyborg Digimon's upper right half. Pteryxmon and Tortomon rushed forward, as Veedramon worked to push Therizinomon back a little. "Blazing Slash!/Spinning Attack!" Veedramon leapt away, allowing the pair to collide with the Ultimate where he had been. At the same time, Hudiemon flew over to the others. "Infinity Dream!" She spun around before beating the wings, sending out a bunch of scales them flew over the injured Digimon. Doing so allowed them to all to recover, whilst Gargomon defended them from any attack Therizinomon might unleash against them. Therizinomon roared as it flexed its right arm, shattering the ice that was upon it. It quickly grabbed Gatormon and threw him off of it, whilst raising its massive foot before stomping it on the ground. The impact caused all the trees around it to shake apart, whilst those on the ground felt the place be shaken up. Hudiemon flew into the air, but Therizinomon stabbed one of the downed trees and threw it at her. She gasped and tried to escape, but the tree slammed into her before she could. "FLUTTERSHY!" Her friends all screamed, as she fell to the ground and her body exploded into data. When the light faded, Fluttershy was laid out on the ground looking unconscious. "NO!" Gargomon yelled, anger raging on his face as he turned towards the Ultimate. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" He charged, Pteryxmon and Tortomon following. But Therizinomon swung its tail around again and smashed the lot of them flying, the trio screaming as they were all knocked through trees and fell to the ground. Pteryxmon exploded back into Rainbow, whilst Gargomon and Tortomon reverted back to their Rookie states. Everyone stared in shock at what had happened, knowing that this battle wasn't going to be easy. "Come on guys!" Veedramon told them. "We can't let Baoyendramon and the others down. We swore to protect this spot and we can't stop trying to fight." The others nodded and charged, Therizinomon not looking impressed. WarGrowlmon continued to do battle against the three defending Digimon. Despite him being a Virus whilst two of the three were Vaccines, the battle between them was evenly matched. "Radiation Blade!" He flew forward, as the blades on his arms glowed red. He then slashed at Baoyendramon, who flew up and swung his arms around. "Cloud Barrier!" The clouds around his arms flew off him and moved towards WarGrowlmon, swirling around him and forming a massive cloud around him. He growled as he slashed at the cloud, attempting to break though it as his glowing hot blade evaporated the water vapour. But once the last of the cloud vanished, WarGrowlmon found Angewomon and MagnaAngemon flying on either side of him. "Celestial Arrow/Gate of Destiny!" Angewomon fired the arrow of light, whilst MagnaAngemon creating the spinning gate that opened up and unleashed a powerful beam of light. The two attacks shot towards him and he didn't have time to move, so instead held out both arms and let the attack collide with him. An explosion occurred and the three resistance Digimon waited to see if that was enough to stop him. But then the smoke faded, revealing the Cyborg Virus completely unharmed. "What?" MagnaAngemon asked, "how is that possible?" WarGrowlmon laughed as he brushed himself up. "Your power is pathetic. If I didn't know you were Ultimates, I'd have guessed you were Champions...weak Champions at best." The trio glared at him, as he raised his claws and charged forward at high speed. The three dodged the attacks, WarGrowlmon flying past them. But before they could try for a counter attack, the Assault Balancer shot forward and struck Angewomon in the stomach. "AUGH!" She screamed, as a gash was ripped into her side. "NO!" Baoyendramon cried, as MagnaAngemon rushed forward. "FILTHY VIRUS!" He slashed at him, but WarGrowlmon easily avoided it. "I will eradicate you!" He spun around and tried to behead him, WarGrowlmon used his arm blades to block. "You really hate Virus Digimon, don't you?" MagnaAngemon growled at this, "what could have happened to make you hate us so much? Did we take something from you? Or someone?" "SHUT UP!" MagnaAngemon began slashing at him, wildly attacking with no thought or technique behind his attacks. As such, it was easy for WarGrowlmon to block them all. But as he did, Baoyendramon flew towards them. "Aero Stream!" The tornado exploded from his mouth and struck WarGrowlmon, pushing him away from MagnaAngemon before the Virus could attack the Vaccine Digimon. Once WarGrowlmon was far enough away, he turned to MagnaAngemon. "Calm down. You won't be able to beat him if-" "Be quiet!" MagnaAngemon yelled, "you don't tell me what to do!" He charged in blindly, WarGrowlmon rushing ahead to meet him head on. The pair clashed blades and after a few moments of pushing against one another, WarGrowlmon managed to overpower the angel. MagnaAngemon was thrown backwards, as WarGrowlmon powered his lasers. "Atomic Blaster!" The explosion of radioactive energy shot towards him, but MagnaAngemon quickly drew a circle in the air. "Gate of Destiny!" The gate appeared and opened up, the attack flying into it. As this was going on, Baoyendramon flew over to Angewomon. "Hold on," he told her. "I...I might be able to heal you." "Forget about me," Angewomon groaned. "You need to stop WarGrowlmon." "MagnaAngemon can do that," Baoyendramon explained. "I need to make sure you survive. Even if we manage to stop him from getting this Dragon Soul Stone, we'll need you for the next one. If you die now, you'll force someone else to take the burden. Like your sister." Angewomon flinched as she thought about her sister, not wanting her to give up being with Rarity. "You're right. But you need to be careful too. We'll also need you to gain the power of the other Dragon Soul Stone. You're just as important as me and MagnaAngemon." "I know I'm just a placeholder," Baoyendramon told her. "If there was a stronger Digimon you knew could use the Stone, I'm sure MagnaAngemon would have never bothered with me." "Maybe, but power isn't everything. You have a good heart and that's more important than strength. Power used by those who don't deserve it is a waste." Baoyendramon nodded, only to hear a cry of pain and look around to see MagnaAngemon fall to the ground. WarGrowlmon laughed, as the dragon Digimon floated up. "You really wanna try it? Your Vaccine friends didn't stand a chance against me. How do you expect a Data Type like you to handle a fight?" "I don't know," Baoyendramon took a deep breath, "but I won't just roll over and let you have the Dragon Soul Stone!" He charged forward, letting out a roar as he attempted to overpower his foe. He was the last one able to stand against him. If he couldn't win, it was likely nobody could. In another part of the forest, Fumamon and Cyberdramon continued to do battle. The ninja Digimon slashed at Cyberdramon, who blocked the attacks with his arm blades. The pair pushed against one another, growling at each other as they attempted to overpower the other. "Why?" Cyberdramon asked, "why do this? If WarGrowlmon becomes Megidramon, everything in the Digital World will be destroyed. Including you!" "You think so?" Fumamon asked. "Who's to say I haven't found a way to survive this catastrophe? You humans know hardly anything of the Digital World. There are secrets that exist to make your head spin. And with those secrets, I will see the Digital World's destruction and walk amongst its ashes." "I won't let you do that!" He pushed Fumamon back and swung his claws around. "Desolation Claw!" He formed the sphere and fired a beam, which flew right at Fumamon. But the Digimon took out a pair of scrolls on his waist before throwing them in the air. As they unfurled, he made several hand signs. "Yomi-Modoshi!" The writing on the scrolls lit up, an explosion quickly following. "Come, Troopmon!" From out of the smoke, a bunch of Digimon in strange looking suits and gas-masks appeared. These Digimon leapt forward, a few getting hit by the laser and exploding. Several more attacked Cyberdramon, who was thrown off by their sudden appearance but quickly recovered. One of the Troopmon tried to punch him, but he was able to avoid it before slashing at it. The Troopmon exploded and moments later, the rest of the Undead Digimon followed suit. But this distraction gave Fumamon time to prepare, the cyborg ninja raising both his swords and placing all his energy into them. He leapt forward and swung the weapons at Cyberdramon, who barely managed to grab them before they could cut through him. The armor on his hands barely managed to stop them, but still Cyberdramon felt a serious pressure coming off of the sword. "Ha," Fumamon laughed. "If it were any other Digimon, I'm pretty sure you'd be in two pieces right now." "Well...I'm not like any other Digimon!" Cyberdramon roared as he pushed Fumamon away. But as he did, a loud roar filled the air and Fumamon chuckled. "Looks like my friend finally arrived." Cyberdramon gave him a curious look. "The most powerful Digimon in our army, after WarGrowlmon of course. A Digimon that leaves nothing but shreds in his wake. And I think that roar came from the direction your friends were in." Inside the Ultimate Digimon, Shining stopped as he let that info sink in. His friends. Twilight, Flash and all the others. They were all in danger. He could tell Fumamon wasn't lying. "So what are you gonna do? Leave and go run to their rescue?" Shining wanted to, but he also knew Flash and the others weren't newbs. "No," he raised his claws, "they can handle themselves. They have each other. They'll make it through that. But you're too dangerous to leave." He rushed forward, "I'll end you here and now!" Fumamon smirked under his mask and charged forward, the two Ultimates clashing. They continued to fight and as they did, Shining fought in a way that forced Fumamon in a certain direction. He might have have faith in his friends, but being closer to them couldn't hurt. "Flash. Everyone. Be careful and don't let whatever's attacking you make you scared. You guys have more potential than I ever had at your age. You won't fall so long as you stay true to what you're fighting for.' "Hammer Punch!" Veedramon roared, as he jumped up and threw a fist into Therizinomon's stomach. The Ultimate didn't even look winded by this and quickly backhanded Veedramon with his metal claws, making the Champion Digimon roar as he was sent flying and crashed through a tree. "Flash!" Unimon cried, as she and Aurumon flew in and tried to attack. Sunflowmon, Stingmon, Mothmon and Darcmon flew in with them, Gatomon on Stingmon's back. "Aerial Attack!" "Infrared Ray!" "Sunshine Beam!" The three launched their attacks, aiming for the chest of the Digimon, whilst the others flew up higher. Therizinomon swung its claws through the air, trying to swat them like flies. They managed to avoid the attacks, with Gatomon leaping off Stingmon and falling towards Therizinomon's head. "Lightning Paw!" The Cyborg barely noticed her, as she slammed her fist into the beast's head. Once again, the attack did virtually nothing and she bounced off it. At the same time, Therizinomon raised its bladed tail and swung it around to try and slash at Gatomon. But Stingmon flew down and blocked it with both his stinger blades. "Augh!" He cried, impact too great. "Gauss Powder!" Mothmon flew overhead and sprinkled its irritating dust towards the Digimon's head, whilst Darcmon swung her staff around and unleashed a light that energised Stingmon. Meanwhile, FlameWizardmon, Ballistamon, Apemon and Arbormon charged. "Ram Slammer!" Ballistamon thrust his horn into the giant's leg, attempting to knock him off balance, with little to no effect. "Blockade Seed!" Arbormon fired a bunch of seeds at the Digimon's claw, which instantly broke apart and started wrapping themselves around the metal blades. "That should hold him! Now Sandal!" "Raaah!" Apemon leapt up, giving FlameWizardmon a piggyback as they flew higher. "Angry Spike!" The fur around his arms turned to metal and when he punched them forward, they shot out and flew towards the Ultimate like a bunch of tiny needles. "Flame Ignition!" The fire exploded off his matches, exploding against the same spot the hair needles had just scratch. But the two attacks did nothing as Therizinomon raised its tail. Suddenly, the blade on the end split in half and folded back to the sides of the tail. This revealed a hole in the end of the metal tail, that looked like it was starting to glow. "Laser Sharp!" It roared, as a brilliant red laser exploded out of the end. It shot towards the sky, but Therizinomon quickly swung it around to cut through terrain. Everyone screamed as they struggled to escape, but Stingmon, Mothmon, Unimon and Aurumon were struck by it and sent flying back as they received serious damage. The laser then moved to the ground and blasted Ballistamon and Arbormon away, whilst FlameWizardmon and Apemon found themselves getting kicked by Therizinomon's leg. They all cried out as they were knocked away and smashed into trees and the ground, the lot of them reverting back to human and Rookie forms whilst barely being left conscious. The laser ended and Therizinomon managed to rip the vines off of its claws, as Sorcerimon, Lekismon, ToyGreymon, Gatormon, Sunflowmon, Dorulumon, Darcmon and Gatomon charged in. But before any of them could attack, Therizinomon stabbed its claws into the ground before ripping them back up. This once again sent rocks and mud flying everywhere, smashing into the Champion Digimon and making them scream as they were sent flying backwards. They all crashed into the ground and reverted back to human and Rookie forms, Therizinomon letting out a mighty roar as it had defeated all his opponents. One such opponent, Veedramon, pushed himself up and looked over at his friends. He gasped seeing them all down for the count, then turned towards Therizinomon as the Virus glared at the still alive humans and Digimon. "Flash!" Veemon cried inside Veedramon's head, "he's gonna eat them!" "Not if I can help it!" He pushed himself up and charged forward, roaring to catch the Ultimate's attention. The Digimon looked around and saw him rushing at it, energy appearing in his mouth. "V-Nova Blast!" He launched the energy out of his mouth and it shot towards the Cyborg, who swatted it away with a single slash of its claw. Veedramon didn't let that stop him, as he built up even more energy within his mouth. "V-Breath Arrow MAX!" He fired the supercharged V-Nova Blast and when it collided, this actually seemed to hurt Therizinomon. At the same time, Twilight and the others were starting to come around. The pushed themselves up and looked over to see Veedramon blasting Therizinomon back. But the Ultimate quickly recovered and its claws extended. "Claw Blade!" It slashed at Veedramon and the Champion rushed to the side, barely avoiding the incoming attack. He then charged forward and tackled Therizinomon with all his might, his feet sliding along the ground and he tried to get traction. Eventually, he was able to push Therizinomon back and the Ultimate Digimon was sent staggering, as Veedramon unleashed another V-Nova Blast. It struck the Digimon in the chest and knocked it through another tree, surprising his friends. But then the Cyborg's tail rose up and pointed at the Champion Level. "Look out!" Twilight yelled, as Therizinomon fired the laser from it that hit the ground in front of Veedramon and made it explode. "AUGH!" He roared as he was knocked flying backwards and crashed into the ground, his friends flinching at this. He groaned as he lifted his head, looking up at the Ultimate as it began to march in the direction of the Dragon Soul Stone. "No," he growled as he forced his body up, "I can't let him pass." Inside his head, Veemon panted also feeling the pain they had gone through. "Yeah, we won't let it end like this." The two willed themselves up and charge forward, their efforts making everyone look up and see them. "GET BACK HERE!" Veedramon roared as he grabbed the end of the dinosaur's tail, pulling on it to try and stop the colossal beast. This did stop Therizinomon, but only because it was curious what had grabbed him and looked back. "Flash!" Twilight cried, amazed that he would try something like that. "What are you doing?" Applejack asked, "ya'h can't overpower him. He's too strong." "I don't care!" Veedramon cried, "I'm not giving up!" Therizinomon suddenly raised its tail, picking him up as well, then smashed it into the ground and made Veedramon cry out. His friends all flinched, wishing they could help but lacking the strength. Therizinomon roared as he picked his tail up again and smashed Veedramon into a nearby tree. But still, he would not let go of the tail. "Don't be reckless!" Micro yelled, "get out of there before he destroys you!" Inside Veedramon's head, Flash and Veemon held onto the tail with everything they had. Micro's words echoed in their heads, but they didn't listen. "We made a promise," Flash whispered. "We wouldn't let any-mon passed us," Veemon agreed. "Not if they're trying to destroy the Digital World." Flash nodded, as their body was once again smashed into the ground. As it was, Flash remembered everything he had been through since coming to the Digital World. All the adventures he and Veemon had been on. All the friends they had made along the way. All the challenges they had faced and the times they had fallen, only to pick themselves up stronger. Then he remembered the Digimon he had met. When he had first come here, he had only seen them as a bunch of computer programs. But now, he knew what they were. They were just as alive as Flash was and as long as he could stand up, he wouldn't let their world be destroyed. "No way!" He cried. "Not gonna happen!" Veemon yelled, the pair opening their eyes as they felt themselves truly synchronise with one another. Then, they spoke together. "WE WON'T LET YOU WIN!" With that, a bright light exploded around them and appeared around Veedramon. The Champion Digimon stamped his feet into the ground and with a mighty roar, spun on the spot and swung Therizinomon around. The virus roared as it was pulled away from where it was going and thrown back the way it had come from, as the light around Veedramon exploded into a massive cocoon. Within it, Veedramon's body began to change and transform. "Veedramon, Digivolve to..." He grew larger, as the white parts of his body turned a different shade, his normally blue legs changing to the same shade whilst his stomach became more buff. Metal shoulder pads appeared whilst his elbows sprouted metal blades, as the top part of his snout became covered in metal and his head spikes grew longer. Outside, everyone stared in shock as something exploded out of the cocoon. A pair of large blue and red wings, which beat out a powerful gust of wind that caused the light to explode off of the Digimon. Doing so revealed the beast, which was now twice the size of his champion, though the Virus' was still larger. "AEROVEEDRAMON!" He roared, as it stood tall and glared Therizinomon down. Nobody could believe what they were seeing. The sight was just too impossible, even though they saw it with their own eyes. "Veedramon," Twilight broke the silence, "Digivolved to Ultimate." "No way," Sandal whispered. "How the heck did Flash get to Ultimate before us?" That was what everyone else was wondering. Compared to them, Flash was a total beginner. He should have been the last of them to Digivolve to Ultimate, but he had managed it before any of them. Therizinomon had finished staring down his opponent and raised his tail, the blade splitting in half and unleashing the laser. It shot towards AeroVeedramon, who spread his wings before beating them. "Wind Guardian!" The wind created morphed into a powerful barrier, which blocked the laser and caused an explosion. The force of said explosion knocked all of AeroVeedramon's friends away, whilst Therizinomon growled before rushing forward and extending its claws. "Claw Blade!" It slashed at AeroVeedramon, but the dragon Digimon swung his arm around and used his elbow blade to block them. The two Ultimates pushed against one another and after a few seconds, AeroVeedramon overpowered his opponent and knocked it staggering back. This allowed AeroVeedramon to spread his wings and leap into the air, flying forwards at great speed as his fist glowed. "Magnum Crusher!" He thrust a punch right into Therizinomon's chest and caused its armor to break apart, shattering as it was thrown backwards and smashed through several trees. AeroVeedramon then shot into the air, getting a good hundred feet up before stopping. As he did, energy formed around him and Trixie recognised it. "Everyone, we gotta move!" The others didn't argue and they began to run away, as the light flew off of him and formed an orb in front of the dragon. "Dragon Impulse!" With a mighty beat of its wings, AeroVeedramon launched the sphere flying towards Therizinomon. As it shot down, it morphed into the shape of a serpentine dragon with a V-shaped head. It moved so fast, that Therizinomon had no time to react. All it could do was raised its blades in a token defence. But the attack smashed into him and he was consumed by an explosion, roaring in agony as his body was reduced to data. Over with Cyberdramon and Fumamon, the two stopped their battle and landed on different branches when they felt the explosion. Fumamon recognised the roar and realised it could only mean one thing. "Therizinomon, was destroyed?" He could hardly believe one of the most powerful Digimon in their army had been overwhelmed. "WarGrowlmon's not gonna like this." At the same time, Cyberdramon looked up and saw AeroVeedramon. "Can't be," Shining whispered inside the Digimon. "Flash...Veemon. They Digivolved to Ultimate already? How is that possible?" It had taken him and Monodramon years to get to that point and those two had reached it in just a few months. "We can figure it out later," Monodramon told him. "We've still got a battle to finish." Shining nodded and leapt forward, trying to use his Cyber Nail attack on Fumamon. But the evil ninja Digimon leapt into the air, readying his swords to fight. At the same time, WarGrowlmon had his opponents on the ropes. Despite the three of them being Vaccine Digimon, the Virus Digimon's power was just too great. He currently had MagnaAngemon by the neck, the angel attempting to slash at him with little look whilst Angewomon and Baoyendramon lay on the ground. "Filthy Virus!" MagnaAngemon growled, "you won't get away with this." WarGrowlmon chuckled, "I think I already have." He slammed MagnaAngemon into the side of a tree and made him scream in pain, the other two seeing him fall to the ground. And as he did, a light filled the clearing and made them look around to see the Dragon Soul Stone's groves beginning to glow. Soon enough, the entire thing was lit up and WarGrowlmon laughed. "Yes!" He stepped forward, "finally. The end of the Digital World. My destiny!" "NO!" Baoyendramon let out a mighty roar, as a massive glow burst of vapour flew out of his mouth and formed a wall of cloud between WarGrowlmon and the stone. The Virus turned to the dragon and growled. "You think this is enough to stop me?" He asked, his Assault Balancer whipped over and grabbed the dragon around the neck. "You make me laugh. A weakling like you could never become one of the Four Great Dragons." "HANDS OFF!" WarGrowlmon looked up and saw something flying towards them. AeroVeedramon. The dragon roared as he flew in and slashed at WarGrowlmon, forcing the cyborg to drop his captured prey and leap back. He then tried to leap at the Dragon Soul Stone, but AeroVeedramon landed and grabbed the Virus. "Let go of me!" "Not gonna happen!" AeroVeedramon told him, but he knew that was a bluff. Inside his body, Flash and Veemon were feeling exhausted. Digivolving to this level and defeating Therizinomon had seriously drained them. They couldn't maintain their form for much longer. "Gotta get him away from the others!" Flash cried, using the last of his strength to push WarGrowlmon backwards. But the cyborg fired its jets and stopped his movement, the two struggling against one another. "GUYS HURRY!" The three leaders of the resistance looked up and realised this was their chance. One by one, they each tried to push themselves up. But the injuries they received were too great. Parts of their bodies were starting to glitch, as they felt themselves getting close to deletion. If they moved too much, they would be destroyed. "I can't," Angewomon panted as he wing glitched. "I'm too weak." "It can't end like this," MagnaAngemon growled. "My destiny as Goldramon...can't end before it starts." Baoyendramon panted as he tried to push himself up. His body refused to float up and his arms weren't strong enough to lift him. "I have to move!" He growled, looking over at the Digimon that had saved him from WarGrowlmon. "They can't hold him back forever." He remembered what the pair had said before. "You have our word. We're not gonna let a single Virus Digimon near that stone." "Yeah." "They kept their word," he whispered. "I can't let their hard working be for nothing." He let out a cry of pain as he forced himself up, data leaking out of his wounds as he crawled towards the stone. "I might not be the most worthy Digimon, but I won't let that stop me." WarGrowlmon saw this and gasped, the Ultimate Virus roaring as he raised his Assault Balancer. "NO!" His whip flew around and struck AeroVeedramon, slashing him down the chest. "AUGH!" He roared, allowing WarGrowlmon to throw him away. The Ultimate Dragon slammed through a tree and fell to the ground. As he did, his body exploded with Flash and a now DemiVeemon falling out of it. WarGrowlmon's thrusters then pushed him towards the Dragon Soul Stone, whilst Baoyendramon crawled there. And when he saw his enemy approaching, he forgot about his damaged body and leapt forward. The two reached for the stone and got to it at the exact same time, their claws connected with the rock milliseconds apart. But whoever touched it first would be the one to Digivolve. The Stone exploded, its light radiating out and blinding everyone within it. Fumamon and Cyberdramon both stopped their fight and turned towards the light, both realising the time had come. "Time to watch the world end!" Fumamon rushed towards it, Cyberdramon following after him and praying it wasn't WarGrowlmon that had gotten to it. They arrived at the clearing and saw the source of the light, which began to move upwards above the forest. Cyberdramon was forced to look away and when he did, he saw Flash and DemiVeemon on the ground. "No!" He rushed over to them, checking them over and finding they weren't severally hurt. Fumamon leapt into the clearing and looked up at the light. At the same time, Armormon arrived and also saw the light. He couldn't help but wonder who it was that had managed to get the stone. "Master?" Fumamon cried, "is that you?" The light didn't reply, but a presence in front of him made Fumamon look ahead and see another Digimon. "No." WarGrowlmon was standing there, not looking happy as he stared up at the orb. Inside the orb, Baoyendramon felt the energy of the Dragon Soul Stone flowing through him. And as he did, his body began to change. "Baoyendramon, Mega Digivolve to..." His body grew longer as the clouds around his body faded away, whilst his scaly skin began to disappear as well. Doing so revealed an energy body, transparent blue in colour with multiple pairs of wings appearing out of them to help lift him up. His head was soon encased in a blue helmet, with lightning bolts covering it and a lightning bolt horn sticking out his head. A long beard also grew out of his face, whilst chains appeared from under the helmet and wrapped around his body. Once the chains connected to his tail end, the cocoon exploded off of him and revealed his new Mega-Level form. "AZULONGMON!" Azulongmon glowed a radiant light, which flew down and began to heal his fellow Digimon. Flash and DemiVeemon both felt themselves coming around, as their injuries faded away. This allowed them to look up and see the new Digimon, whilst Armormon felt the incredible power coming off the Mega. "That's not good," he gulped as WarGrowlmon let out a mighty roar. "HOW DARE YOU STEAL MY DRAGON SOUL STONE!" His chest cannon charged up, "ATOMIC BLASTER!" The twin lasers fired towards Azulongmon, who turned to it as the horn on his head sparked. "SOURAI!" He roared, as a lightning bolt exploded off of him and shot towards the laser. It cut through the attack and struck WarGrowlmon, making him roar in agony as he was blasted backwards. He crashed through several trees, whilst MagnaAngemon and Angewomon picked themselves up and to watch him fall to the ground. "Augh!" He looked badly beaten, his armor dented and damaged from that single hit. "So much power," Fumamon realised. He knew WarGrowlmon couldn't defeat this new more powerful opponent, especially with the other two ready to help him. As such, he rushed over to WarGrowlmon and threw something behind him. With a loud bang, a portal appeared behind WarGrowlmon and showed several Digimon. "Grab the master and pull him to safety!" The Digimon didn't argue and pulled the cyborg through the portal. "Time to go!" Armormon galloped forward. But as he did, he noticed one of the humans that had destroyed his mining operation. "Next time," he growled before leaping into the portal. Fumamon then turned to them, as he took out a flare gun and fired it. The rocket exploded in the sky, signalling the surviving members of the army to retreat. "Until we meet again!" With that, he stepped through the portal and disappeared before it closed. Battle over, Cyberdramon split back into Shining and Monodramon. "You okay?" Shining asked Flash, who nodded as he looked himself over. "Yeah, I'm fine." He turned to DemiVeemon, "what about you bud?" "I feel shorter," he moaned much to his partner's amusement. At the same time, many members of the resistance the the Codex players that had come to help stepped towards the clearing. They all saw Azulongmon in the sky, amazed by the sight of him but also confused about why MagnaAngemon was still there. "It should have been me," the archangel Digimon growled. Angewomon shook her head, "just be glad one of us was able to stop WarGrowlmon from getting it." She turned back to the new Mega and flew up. "Mighty Azulongmon. You have saved the Digital World from begin destroyed. For now." She bowed her head. "From this point on, we follow you in the fight against WarGrowlmon and his army." The other members of the resistance bowed as well, many of the humans and their Digimon bowing as well. Even MagnaAngemon bowed his head a bit. Azulongmon looked over them all and finally caught sight of Flash, bowing along with his partner. Seeing that made him smile. "Rise, my friends. This victory was not mine alone." They all looked up as Azulongmon saw that some of the Digimon in their army were nowhere in sight. "I see this battle has cost us comrades. They are the ones who are the true heroes, for they allowed me to get the stone's power before WarGrowlmon. Let us never forget their great sacrifice." Everyone nodded at this, whilst Shining stepped forward and spoke up. "We may have won, but this was just one battle. WarGrowlmon wasn't destroyed and his forces are still great. There are still two Dragon Soul Stones out there. If we can't get them both, what happens here today will be meaningless." "You speak the truth," Azulongmon nodded. "I might not have been the most suitable Digimon to become a Great Dragon. But I will accept this duty and the responsibility that goes with it. I can't promise to be a perfect leader, but I will do my best to help us fight against the forces of evil. Will you follow me?" They all cheered, happy to agree to such a humble leader. Angewomon smiled whilst MagnaAngemon frowned. He would allow Azulongmon to lead them for now. But one day, he would take his place as the leader of the Four Great Dragons and fulfil his destiny to wipe out all Virus Digimon that threatened the Digital World. Back in their Army's hideout, WarGrowlmon was getting the damaged parts of his cyborg body repaired. At the same time, Fumamon was discussing what had happened during Therizinomon's battle. "You're saying he was defeated by that boy and his Veemon?" Armormon asked, growling as he thought about the annoying brat that had helped ruin his mining operation. "I can't believe such a powerful Digimon lost like that!" Fumamon nodded as he knelt in front of WarGrowlmon. "The battle was in his favour during most of the fight. But when they somehow Digivolved to Ultimate, they were able to overpower him and Therizinomon was destroyed." WarGrowlmon did not like the sound of this. "Those humans could pose more of a threat than I originally theorised." He then flinched, as the Hagurumon fixing him up pulled out a piece of damaged metal. "We must increase the power of our forces." "How?" Armormon asked. "We still have many Digimon under our control. Until the next Dragon Soul Stone appears, they must train until they can Digivolve to the Ultimate Level. Fumamon!" "Yes master?" Fumamon asked. "You must find as many Virus Digimon as you can and make them join us. I don't care what Level they're at. Bring them here and make sure they know that it is the only place they will ever be accepted." "Yes master," Fumamon nodded before getting up and rushing out the chamber. As he did, Armormon stepped forward. "You sure you want to increase the number of Ultimates in this Army? What if one of them tries to usurp you. You're not the only Digimon that can become Megidramon?" WarGrowlmon nodded. "I'll keep an eye on any Digimon that has that potential. If they think about betraying me, I'll destroy them before they can decide to even consider it." Hagurumon finished his repairs and WarGrowlmon was back to full power, the Digimon standing up and letting out a sigh. "I will destroy this Digital World and create a new one in its place. One where only the strong shall survive." The resistance and their allies soon returned to the mountain fortress. There, the Digimon that had been injured were being healed by Digimon with that ability. This included many of the Codex Digimon, Angewomon and Rarity standing over Salamon as the Cutemon worked of fixing her up. "You did amazing," the angel told her sister. "I'm so proud of you." Salamon smiled up at her, as Angewomon turned to Rarity. "And you, my darling. You've grown into quite the amazing young woman." Rarity smiled, "thank you milady. But as much as we would like to take credit, we all know who the real MVP of this battle was." They all looked over at Flash and DemiVeemon, who was sitting at a table stuffing their faces. Twilight and Tawnimon were sitting opposite them, looking shocked as they watched the pair finish their eighth bowl of food. "Where the heck are you putting all that?" She finally asked, as Flash stacked the plate up and began another one. "Give him a break." Shining Armor and Monodramon walked up to them. "We were the same after we first Digivolved to Ultimate. The strain it puts on your body is pretty tough." "Tell me about it," Flash sighed. "I've never felt that powerful, even when I went Ultimate in Codex. It was insane, but it was also hard. It was like I was holding fire. I could use it to beat my opponents, but it was burning me as well." Shining nodded as he sat down, "Ultimate Digimon are many times stronger than Champions. You guys outnumbered Therizinomon, but you guys could barely scratch him. That's the difference in power level that exists between stages. Learning to handle that power won't be easy." Flash nodded, whilst Twilight still looked unsure. "I just don't get it." They turned to her. "How did you get to the Ultimate Level so fast? Players who've been doing this four times as long as you haven't gotten there yet. Heck, Shining's been playing for years and he only managed to get to Ultimate a few months ago. So how the heck did you do it?" Flash frowned as he thought about it, having no idea how he and Veemon had gotten passed Champion. At the time, he hadn't really thought about it. "I don't know." Shining turned to Twilight, "there's a lot about the Digital World we don't know about. Flash and Veemon aren't exactly your normal team. But I do know that one of the keys to Digivolution is to be synchronised, in both mind and body. Best guess, Flash and Veemon were so determined to beat their opponent, their thoughts synchronised enough. That coupled with their drive to protect their friends and the Digital World, pushed them past their limits." Twilight hummed, "I guess that's possible. But what does this mean? Are they gonna be able to Digivolve to Ultimate whenever they want, like you?" "Maybe not at first," Shining turned to Flash. "Be careful next time you're in a fight. It's possible you'll be able to go Ultimate, but it might fail if you and Veemon aren't properly synced up like before. But the more you guys Digivolve to Ultimate, the easier it'll be and the longer you're gonna be able to hold that form. Got it?" "Got it," Flash and DemiVeemon nodded. But despite this, the pair felt like they had overcome a great limit this day. No matter what, they would remember the moment they Digivolved and work to recreate it when it was needed. If they could, they would be one step closer to their goal of being the best players in Codex. A cough made them both look around and see Leomon, who was smiling at them. "Azulongmon would like to talk to you both. He's in an upper part of the base." Flash nodded and got up, grabbing DemiVeemon as they headed over towards a set of stairs. Flash's friends wanted to go with him, but had a feeling this was something Azulongmon would rather have be private. The pair headed up the staircase and as they did, they found the walls change from simple stone to full on marble. When they arrived at the top, they found themselves in a marble temple with a trio of large pillars sitting in a circle. One of these pillars had Azulongmon on it, the giant Digimon having shrunken down the same way the Royal Knights could and wrapping his body around one of the pillars. His head was resting on the top of it, Flash not sure if that was comfortable or not. "Flash Sentry," he smiled. "I thank you for your help on this day. Without you, WarGrowlmon would have gotten the Dragon Soul Stone." "I guess," Flash nodded. "But it wasn't just me. A lot of Digimon and players fought to give you the chance to get to Stone. We're just sorry we let WarGrowlmon through." "Yes," Azulongmon nodded, "and he will be back. As a Mega, I will be unable to help when the next Dragon Soul Stone appears. That's why I hope you will be willing to help when that time comes. There's no telling what the Virus Army will do to get that stone." The pair nodded, promising to be there when they needed them. Flash and Veemon now had a new goal. They would still work to become as strong as they could together, but they would use that strength to also protect the Digital World from evil. Two Dragon Soul Stones remained. Until they were both used to awaken Magnadramon and Goldramon, the Digital World wouldn't be safe. And Flash would do whatever it took to get strong enough to make sure WarGrowlmon and his cronies didn't get their claws on them.