School had just begun in the human world and as it did, Flash, Twilight and Micro were making their way through the hallways to their first class.
As they did, they discussed what their Digital selves were likely doing right now. "So you're gonna battle for your chance to enter the Champion Rank?" Twilight asked, Flash nodding in return.
"Yup. Today's the day I become a Champion. Just watch. I'm gonna win this battle, then keep winning until I'm the best player in Codex." Twilight and Micro rolled their eyes, knowing Flash was probably a long way off from that title.
"Well it's about time," Micro told him. "You haven't battled in days. What, were you scared of losing right on the edge of victory?"
"I'm not scared," Flash told them. "But the Champion Stadium isn't going anywhere. The more I train, the better prepared I'll be for when I face my opponent. Just watch. One day, I'm gonna face off against Shining Armor in a proper battle."
"Well you're gonna be in for a long wait," Twilight explained. "Especially if today goes well."
"Why?" Flash asked, "what's so special about today?" Twilight looked shocked.
"You mean you haven't heard? Shining Armor's gonna be battling today. And if he wins, he'll be allowed to enter the Mega Level." Flash looked shocked by this. "It's taken him a long time. But if he wins today, he'll be the first player in Codex to make it to the Mega Level."
"You mean there's no other Mega Level Codex players?" Flash asked, having not realised this detail. When Twilight nodded, Flash whistled. "Wow. No wonder your brother's so famous. To be able to get that far is amazing."
"Well he was one of the first Codex Players," Micro pointed out. "He's been doing this longer than anyone else. Of course he would be one of the best." Micro thought about something and turned to Twilight. "I gotta ask. How did Shining Armor get picked to be the first player? As far as I know, Shining doesn't have any kind of Digimon tournament record."
"I'm not sure," Twilight told them. "He never mentioned it. All he ever told me is that he got sent a Digivice one day and he's been playing Codex every day since." It sounded like there was more to that story than Shining was letting on, the boys wishing they knew the truth.
They both hoped Shining would share the details with them in the future, and that when they uploaded later they would learn that he had become the first Mega Level player.
Over in Codex, Flash was making his way through the building on his way to the Rookie Stadium with Veemon in tow.
The pair had stayed up late the previous night, working on their strategy. Of course, he knew there was a chance his strategy could go up in smoke. He had planned for what would happen if he was allowed to select the battlefield. But he also knew the chance of this happening was fifty fifty, meaning he needed to be ready to improvise if something went wrong.
But as they made their way through the foyer, they noticed a large group of players were gather inside of it.
He was reminded of Trixie and Sandal's battle and hoped it wouldn't be something like this, heading over to check it out. As he did, he saw Twilight and Tawnimon sitting in the best seats to watch one screen in particular. "What's going on?" He asked, sitting down with Veemon as they looked up at the screen.
As they did, they saw Shining Armor and Monodramon on it. Tawnimon then spoke up, "this is it. Shining's chance to be the first player to hit the Mega Level."
"No way," Flash could hardly believe it. All thought of going to the Rookie Stadium flew out of his mind. There was no way he was going to miss this.
He looked around, seeing Micro and Sandal sitting at another table. Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity were sitting at another, whilst Trixie and Pinkie were at another. He spotted Jet Set and Lightning Blitz, along with several other players who were interested in the upcoming match.
The camera then panned around, showing another man with yellow skin and black hair with red tips. He was wearing a red leather overcoat with black flame patterns on the sleeves and at the bottom, giving him a serious flaming biker look.
"Who's that?" Veemon asked, Twilight humming.
"Blaze Burner. He's got quite an impressive record. And I think this is the first time he and Shining Armor have battled against one another."
"You think Shining's gonna be okay?" Flash asked, Twilight nodding.
"He'll be fine. He's the top player in the entire game. He was the first to enter the Rookie, Champion and Ultimate stadiums. And now he's gonna complete the streak and be the first Mega Level player." They all watched as the pair stood in the dome, waiting for the battle to begin.
Shining Armor took a deep breath to steady his nerves. He had been in a lot of terrifying situations, both in the real and Digital World. He was used to staring danger in the eye, but today was probably one of the most terrifying moments in his life.
He knew a bunch of players were likely watching him, expecting him to win. And despite knowing a loss here wasn't the end of the world, he didn't want to let anyone down. He would give this battle everything he had and come out on top, no matter what his opponent threw at him.
"Shining Armor!" the overhead voice stated, "Blaze Burner!" The other guy smirked, "you are both here to compete in a Codex Battle. Shining Armor. A victory here will allow you to rank up to the Mega Level, the first player in the game's history to do so. Are both players ready to compete?"
"Yes," they both replied as they set their Digivices into the podiums and started choosing their Digimon.
"Who do you think Shining's gonna pick?" Flash asked, Twilight looking unsure.
"With how important this battle is, Monodramon would be his best bet. But his opponent knows that's his best choice and is likely planning to counter it. If Shining wants to win, he needs to do something unexpected.
The pair finished selecting their decks and as they did, the voice spoke once again. "Shining Armor, you have been randomly selected to choose the battlefield you would like to use." Shining smirked at this and opened his locations, eventually selecting one and uploading it. The Abandoned Factory has been selected. When both players are ready, hit the start button."
"Alright!" Blaze cried, "prepare to lose. I'm gonna be the one to enter the Mega Level first!" He slammed down on the button, "let's get Digital!" With that, he was completely consumed by light and his body began to change. When the light faded, he was a living candle stick. His face and arms were made out of wax and instead of legs, he had a bronze handle holder below him. On his head was a wick with an activate flame, which had blue eyes an a sewn together mouth. "Candlemon!"
"Let's get Digital!" Shining slammed the button and was wrapped up in energy. Monodramon was sucked into the Digivice, everyone shocked to see Shining wasn't using his partner. The light around Shining then faded, revealing his Digimon choice.
It was a four foot dinosaur Digimon, who looked similar to Agumon except for being blue in colour and covered in combat armor. His head, chest and back were armored up, whilst his feet almost appeared robotic. And in his claws was a rifle of some kind, that looked like it could do some serious damage. "Commandramon!"
The two Digimon stared one another down, as the battlefield formed around them. Everyone watched, as the screen changed to a large metal complex. The metal on the walls looked rusted, Flash turning to the others.
"Any of you guys know this place?"
Micro nodded. "It was a factory that long ago, mass produced Machine Digimon. Digimon like Guardromon and other robotic Digimon came into being there, built to be weapons in a war that raged in the Digital World centuries ago."
Twilight nodded. "When the war ended, the factory was shut down and left abandoned. Shining took me there once and the whole place was a mess. There was a massive room in the middle of the place full of Digimon parts. Name a Digimon that's even partly robotic and one of them is rusting in there for sure." As she said that, Commandramon and Candlemon appeared in different sections of it.
Candlemon: 5-100%
Commandramon: 5-100%
Commandramon raised his blaster and quickly went into battle mode, moving with swift precision through the factory hallways.
He constantly zigzagged from wall to wall and whenever her reached a turn, he glanced around it careful as he searched for his opponent. But Candlemon was nowhere to be seen, the Cyborg Digimon slowly approaching an open area of the factory.
Said area was a spot where cranes and many other machines were located. Metal bridges filled the gaps between the walls, with staircases leading down to other parts. It was on one of these bridges that Commandramon found himself under attack.
"Lava Loogie!" A fireball shot down from above and Commandramon quickly acted, leaping off the bridge and grabbing a hanging chain. The fireball exploded and the force caused Commandramon to swing through the air, as he pointed his rifle at the spot where the fireball had come from.
Candlemon was staring down at him from a higher bridge and as he prepared to fire again, Commandramon released the chain. "M-Sixteen Assassin!" A barrage of bullets exploded out of the rifle and reached Candlemon before he could react, the Flame Digimon screaming as he was knocked backwards.
Candlemon: 5-75%
Commandramon: 5-100%
Commandramon landed on another bridge and instantly leapt off it, landing on the arm of a crane and running up it. He continued to fire his weapon as he did, Candlemon quickly bouncing around to avoid the attacks.
"Ouch," Flash winced, "this feels a little one sided."
"Blaze thought Shining would pick Monodramon," Twilight explained. "So he picked a Data Digimon to fight against him. But since Commandramon is a Virus, he's got the advantage."
"Maybe," Tawnimon nodded, "but Shining will still need to be careful." As he said that, Candlemon leapt into the air and started spinning around.
"Paraffin Paralyse!" The wax that made up his body went flying everywhere, hitting the ground, walls and almost anything else.
Commandramon found some wax flying towards him and dodged it, only for more wax to land where he happened to step on. As soon as he did, the wax hardened and he was trapped. "Dang it!" He started pulling, but the wax was like concrete.
Candlemon landed atop on of the cranes and laughed. "Now I've got you! Lava Loogie!" The fireball exploded out of his mouth and Commandramon could only shift his body, the fire hitting a part of his armed form. But it still did damage.
Candlemon: 5-75%
Commandramon: 5-90%
"Paraffin Paralysis!" Candlemon then leapt up and spun around, more wax flying off of him and going towards Commandramon.
The dinosaur rookie fired at the wax, trying to stop it, but the hot substance still slammed into him. "Augh!" He cried as his gun was jammed up and his body was covered, the heat burning the parts of him not covered in kevlar
Candlemon: 5-75%
Commandramon: 5-85%
The wax hardened and Commandramon was unable to move, allowing Candlemon to start escaping. "As much as I'd love to wail on you right now, you won't be in there long and I need to find me some power-ups to even the odds." With that, he disappeared down a hallway.
Commandramon struggled against the wax, the hard substance locking him in place.
He managed to get his finger on the trigger of his gun and pulled it, the bullets breaking through the wax. The kickback also caused the wax around his feet to crack, allowing him to pull himself free. He then slammed his body into the barriers of the bridge and broke the wax off his arms, allowing him to claw at the remaining parts and be completely free.
"That's annoying." He ran down the hallway Candlemon had disappeared down, zigzagging through it in search of the Flame Digimon. And as he ran, he heard a clanging sound. The kind of sound a Digimon on a metal candle-stand would make if it was jumping down the metal hall.
Following the sound, he heard Candlemon's cheer. Shining guessed he had found a power-up and sped up, taking something out of his belt as he did so.
He arrived at the end of the hallway and found himself in a room with a lot of conveyor belts, which Candlemon just so happened to be standing on. "DCD Bomb!" The candle spun around, as Commandramon threw a round metal orb at him. One that started flashing as soon as he had pressed the button on the side.
Candlemon gasped at the sight of it, attempting to escape only for it to explode inches away from him. Candlemon scream as he was knocked flying backwards, crashing into another conveyor belt and rolling along it as his health dropped like crazy.
Candlemon: 5-25%
Commandramon: 5-85%
Commandramon landed near the controls and pulled one of the leavers, causing the belt Candlemon was on to start moving. "Hey!" He cried, trying to pick himself up only for the belt's constant turning to throw him around. "Gyah!" He eventually found himself heading towards a machine, the Digimon not wanting to know what happened to things going inside of it.
He finally managed to roll off the end and fell to the ground, as Commandramon leapt up onto a high up platform. There, he started firing his rifle at the Flame Digimon, making him cry out as he jumped up and leapt behind a nearby column.
Commandramon continued to unleash bullet after bullet, pinning Candlemon down. But eventually, his gun stopped firing as he was out of ammo.
"Now I gotcha!" Candlemon leapt out from behind the pillar, but found Commandramon had already ducked for cover. "Get out here you coward!"
"Pot calling the kettle black!" Commandramon called back, as he opened up his gun and replaced the ammo cartridge. "I don't remember you being out in the open before." He closed his gun and leapt out, unleashing another barrage of bullets.
They shot towards the candle, how leapt behind a machine as Commandramon looked around. There were no other power-ups there, meaning Candlemon had gotten the last one. If Commandramon wanted to even the odds, he would need to find one on his own.
"I should also work to move the fight to the roof," he thought to himself. "This place is fine for now, but I'm gonna need to get some more room if I wanna go Ultimate." He took out another bomb and activate it, throwing it towards Candlemon's location.
The Flame Digimon saw this and wasn't gonna be stopped this time. "Paraffin Paralysis!" He leapt up and spun, the wax shooting off his body and flying towards the bomb. The wax hit the sphere and completely coated it, hardening just as it exploded.
The wax stretch out, absorbing most of the blast but breaking apart before the last of the flames vanished. But the attack had absorbed enough force to not be a danger to Candlemon, who spotted Commandramon running down a hallway.
"Get back here!" He ran after Commandramon, as his Digivolution Gauge grew close to full. Soon, he would have the upper hand on Shining Armor.
"Come on man!" Veemon cried, "you're winning. Why are you running away?"
"He's thinking ahead," Flash told him. "He might have the advantage now, but he knows that can all change in Candlemon Digivolves before him."
Twilight nodded. "He knows this area and knows the best spots to find power-ups. And the best spots to fight in his Champion form. Right now, he has the speed and manoeuvrability advantage over Candlemon. But that might not last, so he needs to focus on using it now to get the upper hand.
Commandramon reached an elevator and called it, the Digimon pointing his rifle at the direction he had just come.
He heard Candlemon's clanging approaching and the just as he was about to turn a corner, the elevator arrived and Commandramon got inside. He rode the elevator upwards two floors, stepping out of it and finding himself in a large room full of old machine parts and robotic arms.
This had been the factory's assembly point, but it hadn't been used in years. And when he stepped forward, he found an SP coin. "Dang. Not the one I was hoping for." He grabbed it anyway refilled his gauge, as the elevator closed and headed back down.
Commandramon pointed his rifle at the elevator, knowing Candlemon would be there any minute. And sure enough, he began to move back up and finally reached him.
He expected Candlemon to attack as soon as the doors opened, but nothing happened. Commandramon raised an eyebrow at this and stepped towards it, gun raised, ready to deal with whatever was waiting for him in there. But there was nothing.
No Candlemon, no wax traps, not even a sign that anyone had been in there after him.
Commandramon stepped inside and looked around, only to suddenly hear a snapping sound.
This made him look up and he saw the elevator hatch wasn't shut too, a result of Candlemon climbing out of it. And when he pushed it open, he saw the Flame Digimon using his fire to melt the cables holding the elevator up.
"Have a nice trip!" He cried as the cable finally broke apart, causing the metal box to fall.
But Commandramon leapt for the door and managed to roll out of it it left the floor. But as he picked himself up, Candlemon swung through the opening and slammed into his chest. "Augh!"
Candlemon: 5-25%
Commandramon: 5-80%
He fell to the ground and his rifle feel from his grasp, sliding away as Candlemon jumped back. "That was fun." As he said that, his Digivolution Gauge completely filled. "And now, to kick things up a notch!" Commandramon picked himself up, as Candlemon leapt into the air. "Candlemon, Digivolve to..." The flame on his wick exploded and consumed the rest of his body, morphing into his new head as he took a more humanoid shape. He was now a twelve foot tall humanoid fire person, with smoke coming off his body. "Meramon!"
"That's not good," Flash gulped.
"Shining still has the advantage," Twilight explained. "Meramon's a Data Type. Shining should still be able to fight on even footing." But as she said that, Meramon reached out and grabbed Commandramon by the tail. "At least I hope so!"
They watched as Meramon swung Commandramon around before slamming him into the ground, then again and again. With each hit, his health went down.
Meramon: 5-25%
Commandramon: 5-65%
Meramon then threw him across the room, Commandramon crying out as he spun through the air.
But as he approached the back wall, he corrected himself and managed to slam his feet into the metal. This stopped him from taking damage and allowed him to leap away from the wall, pulling out a grenade as he did so. "DCD Bomb!" He threw it, but Meramon thrust his hand forward.
"Blazing Flames!" Fireballs exploded out of his hands and hit the bomb, exploding and causing the room to fill with smoke.
This allowed Commandramon to leap over to his gun and grab it, as Meramon walked through the flames of the explosion. "M-Sixteen Assassin!" The barrage of bullets flew through the smoke and collided with Meramon, each one doing its own bit of small damage.
Meramon: 5-0%
Commandramon: 5-65%
"Ahhh!" Meramon staggered back, angry at losing the first Security. And to a Rookie of all things. "That won't stop me!" He cried, as his body flared up, "Heatwave!" A powerful burst of warm air exploded out of him, filling the room and causing everything metal to grow red hot.
This included Commandramon's gun, making him cry out and drop it.
Meramon: 4-100%
Commandramon: 5-60%
The floor was also red hot, forcing Commandramon to jump on the spot as he felt the air burning his skin and doing more damage to him. "Ahh," Meramon sighed, "nice and toasty." He stared at Commandramon, as the Rookie continued to be cooked alive. "Bad move, picking a battlefield that I can turn into a giant oven."
Commandramon continued to jump around and knew he had to escape, but the only way out had been the elevator.
However, he quickly noticed a part of the ground that had been damaged in the explosion. And with the room's heat, the metal was warping.
Grabbing his gun, despite how hot it was, he unleashed a barrage of bullets into the ground that flew right through the damaged metal. Shooting in a circle, he cut a perfect circle right in the floor before running forward and stomping down on it.
This caused the floor to break and fall down towards the next level, Commandramon jumping away from hot circle of metal before landing on the ground and looking around. He had landed in a hallway and quickly checked his health, frowning at how much damage being in the hot room had done to him.
Meramon: 4-100%
Commandramon: 5-25%
His gun was still hot, forcing him to use its strange to throw it over an armored shoulder and run. As he did, Meramon leapt down after him. "Blazing Flames!" Fireballs exploded after him and Commandramon found himself needing to dodge and roll to avoid them, eventually turning down another corridor. And as he did, he spotted a Digivolution Coin ahead of him.
Picking up speed, he grabbed it and ran up a flight of stairs as his Digivolution Gauge filled up even more. He heard Meramon approaching and quickly pulled out a bomb, throwing it down as he reached the top.
Meramon ran to the bottom of the stairs, right as the bomb bounced down and reached the end of its timer. "Uh oh!" It exploded, the force knocking Meramon backwards. Despite appearing to be made of fire, this Digimon did have a physical form beneath the flames. So getting blasted and slammed into a back wall really hurt.
Meramon: 4-65%
Commandramon: 5-25%
Everyone watched, as Commandramon flew down the the hallway at the top of the stairs and jumped into a large containment room with several crates inside.
Once he was sure there were plenty of exits, he took a deep breath before his body was consumed by light. "Commandramon, Digivolve to..." The light and revealed a Digimon Flash had seen Shining use before, being the one Shining had been when he had saved him in the Skyborn Ravine. "Sealsdramon!"
Twilight frowned, "that could be a problem."
"Why?" Flash asked.
"Sealsdramon is a fast Digimon, but it's primary method of attack is with knives. If Shining can't get close, he's not gonna be able to do much damage. And against a Digimon made of intense flames, getting up close and personal is dangerous." As she said that, Meramon ran into the room.
As soon as he appeared, Sealsdramon's red eye beeped.
"Scouter Monoeye!" The robotic lens scanned the fire Digimon and allowed him to see the physical body beneath it, whilst also detecting the weak spots on the fire Digimon.
Meramon growled at the sight of his Digivolved opponent, the Flame Digimon building up fire in his hands. But before he could launch it, Sealsdramon was suddenly right in front of him and slashed at him with a long sharp knife. "Augh!"
Meramon: 4-55%
Sealsdramon: 5-25%
Meramon tried to counter, but Sealsdramon was gone in the blink of an eye. "Get back here!" As soon as he spotted him across the room, he launched a barrage of fireballs towards him. But Sealsdramon was so fast he effortlessly dodged them and disappeared.
"Death Behind!" The next thing Meramon knew, something shot into his back. He screamed, staggering forward and glancing back to see a knife sticking out of him.
Meramon: 4-35%
Sealsdramon: 5-25%
Sealsdramon shot forward with another knife, ready to stab Meramon in the back once again. But the fire Digimon spun around, his body unleashing a wave of heat that melted the knife in his back and struck the Cyborg Digimon. "Ahh!" The heart made him stop and Meramon used this opening to throw a punch.
"Burning Fist!" The blazing Digimon slammed his burning fist into Sealsdramon's chest, the soldier Digimon being knocked flying by the impact.
Meramon: 4-35%
Sealsdramon: 5-15%
Sealsdramon smashed into a crate and kept rolling along the ground, eventually stopping near one of the walls. As he did, a Digivolution Coin fell out of the crate. "Perfect." Meramon ran forwards and grabbed it, as Sealsdramon picked himself up.
As the coin exploded into energy, Sealsdramon started throwing a barrage of knives in his direction.
Meramon saw this and unleashed a wave of heat, burning the knives and causing them to melt. But Sealsdramon quickly shot forward and as the heat subsided, he reached Meramon and slashed at him. "Augh!"
Meramon: 4-25%
Sealsdramon: 5-15%
He slashed at him again, then again and again and again. Meramon roared in pain with every strike, another security exploding. But as it did, he unleashed a Blazing Flame attack point blank. "Gyah!" Sealsdramon was blasted backwards.
Meramon: 3-90%
Sealsdramon: 5-0%
Sealsdramon did several flips and landed on the ground, sliding along it as he pulled out several knives. He quickly threw them at the remaining crates, shattering them and revealing several power-ups. Two were SP coins and another was a Digivolution Coin, Sealsdramon and Meramon seeing it and running forward.
But Sealsdramon was faster, grabbing the coin before Meramon could get even three steps closer. And as the energy of the coin flowed into him, Sealsdramon threw another knife at Meramon.
But the fire Digimon blocked with a fireball, melting the knife before slamming his fist into the ground. Doing so sent a wave of fire towards Sealsdramon, who did a few back-flips and eventually reached a door.
Opening it up, he found another staircase and pushed the door closed behind him. Stabbing a pair of knives into the ground, he ran up the stairs as Meramon tried to push the doors open. But the knives locked them in place, forcing him to instead melt the doors down.
By the time he got through the doors, Sealsdramon had reached the top of the staircase. But Meramon's hands and feet exploded, turning him into Iron Man as he shot up the stairs in a matter of seconds. He spotted Sealsdramon ahead of him and the Cyborg spun around, a pair of knives in his possession as Meramon got in close.
The pair began fighting it out, Meramon dealing several punched to Sealsdramon whilst the D-Brigader slashed at him with his knives. Sealsdramon focused on speed over power, jumping from wall to wall like a rubber ball in order to get his hits in. Meramon, instead, focused on his strength into single powerful attacks.
Eventually, the pair punched one another's fist as hard as they could before getting knocked backwards by the force.
Meramon: 3-70%
Sealsdramon: 4-60%
Meramon then brought his hands together and formed a large fireball, which he slammed into the ground to turn into a line of flames. A line Sealsdramon couldn't dodge, the Cyborg Digimon instead throwing a knife as hard as he could.
It shot through the flames and stabbed Meramon in the chest, whilst the fire blast slammed into him and exploded.
"AUGH!" They both cried, Meramon staggering back whilst Sealsdramon was blown backwards until he crashed through a doorway.
Meramon: 3-55%
Sealsdramon: 4-40%
As he hit the ground, he found himself sliding along a bridge across the room he was now in. And when he came to a stop, he was able to look down and see where he was. The junkyard.
"Wow," Flash whispered.
He was currently looking at the room's floor, where a mountain of discarded Digimon parts could be seen. It was just like Twilight had said. There was a part there from every mechanical Digimon he knew. And a few he didn't. It would look cool if Flash didn't know all those parts used to belong to a living Digimon.
"That's just creepy," Veemon gulped.
"Imagine how Shining feels being there," Tawnimon pointed out. They watched, as Sealsdramon picked himself up and looked around. He then looked up at the ceiling, only to then dodge a blast of fire that Meramon shot his way.
Meramon ran into the room and along the bridge, the heat he gave off causing the metal around him to grow weaker.
"Burning Fist!" He launched a punch towards Sealsdramon's chest, only for the Cyborg to cross his knives and block it. But the heat the attack gave off was still a lot.
Meramon: 3-55%
Sealsdramon: 4-35%
Sealsdramon pushed against the flaming fists and finally pushed them away, then quickly launched two slashed right into its chest. "Augh!"
Meramon: 3-25%
Sealsdramon: 4-35%
As he staggered back, he unleashed a stream of fire that consumed Sealsdramon.
Meramon: 3-25%
Sealsdramon: 4-25%
As Sealsdramon staggered back, Meramon stood tall and crossed his arms. "Meramon, Digivolve to..." With that, the flames covering his arms turned from red to bright blue. He then spread them wide and the blue flames flew down his arms to engulf his chest. His legs then followed and finally, his head turned blue as the Digimon closed his eyes. When he opened, they were now black with yellow in the centre. "BlueMeramon!"
"I don't get it," Veemon looked confused. "That's a Digivolution? How is that any different from what it was before?"
"It might look like he just changed colour," Twilight explained. "But his power really has grown. Blue flames are hotter than red ones, so that means his attacks are gonna be way stronger than they were when he was Meramon. Watch." They did so and as Meramon walked forward, every step it took did something to the bridge.
But instead of melting the bridge, like Twilight expected, instead the metal froze. This confused them, Twilight looking shocked.
Flash smirked. "Guess in the Digital World, a blue flame is cold instead of hot." And sure enough, BlueMeramon held up his hands and called out.
Ice Phantom!" The blue fire shot out of his hands and struck Sealsdramon before he could react.
The cyborg Digimon could only brace himself, as the attack slammed into him. But instead of burning, Sealsdramon felt himself struck by an icy chill and his arms quickly started freezing over. "Augh!" he staggered back, trying to keep himself from being turned into an icy statue.
BlueMeramon: 3-25%
Sealsdramon: 4-15%
"You might have had the advantage before," BlueMeramon laughed. "But now you have to face me along with fire so cold, it burns." The attack ended and Sealsdramon rushed forward, breaking the ice off his body as he drew his knives.
"Scouting Monoeye!" He quickly scanned the Ultimate and found his weak spots, which he slashed at with two powerful cuts. But despite the strength, Sealsdramon could tell the damage done wasn't as much as it should be.
BlueMeramon: 3-15%
Sealsdramon: 4-15%
"That's right," he realised. "BlueMeramon's a Virus Type."
"That's right," he cried as he threw a punch. "Which means I now have the advantage!" Sealsdramon leapt back to avoid the punch, as BlueMeramon brought his hands together. "Ice Bomb!" A shard of ice appeared between his hands and grew larger and larger, whilst Sealsdramon grabbed a bar off the side of the bridge and pulled.
As BlueMeramon launched the attack, as Sealsdramon ripped the bar off and held it like a sword. "Batter up!" He swung it around and hit the ice ball, sending it flying into the air until it struck the ceiling.
It exploded, rocking the entire building and knocking BlueMeramon off balance. This also allowed Sealsdramon to shoot forward reach the Ultimate in seconds. "Take this!" He slashed at BlueMeramon three times, shattering yet another Security.
BlueMeramon: 3-0%
Sealsdramon: 4-15%
Sealsdramon then leapt off the bridge and ran along the wall, moving fast enough that gravity did nothing. And when he was high enough he leapt towards the spot where the Ice Bomb had exploded.
The mist from the attack had faded, revealing a large hole was now in the roof. And when Sealsdramon reached it, he grabbed a destroyed piece of the roof and used it to swing himself through the hole.
"Hey!" BlueMeramon cried, "get back here!" He unleashed a stream of fire, hitting the side of the bridge and creating an ice path up towards the hole.
Outside, Sealsdramon stood atop the factory's roof. He nodded, seeing he was in the perfect spot. But before he could do what he intended, BlueMeramon leapt out.
"Ice Phantom!" He unleashed the blue fire and struck Sealsdramon head-on, the Cyborg Digimon crying out as he was struck and completely consumed.
BlueMeramon: 2-100%
Sealsdramon: 4-0%
Everyone gasped as the attack ended and the mist faded, revealing Sealsdramon was frozen solid.
"Shining Armor!" Twilight cried, as the rest of the people watching were in absolute shock. They watched as Blue Meramon stepped towards him, laughing as he prepared to smash the ice and the Digimon trapped inside it to pieces. "Do something!"
Flash frowned, but knew it would take more than that to beat Shining Armor. And sure enough, a crack suddenly appeared on the ice. "It's not over yet." The others saw this and gasped, as Sealsdramon suddenly started glowing. "YES!"
"NO!" BlueMeramon charged forward, but the ice exploded and a chunk slammed into him. "Augh!"
BlueMeramon: 2-90%
Sealsdramon: 3-100%
As soon as Sealsdramon was free, he leapt into the air as the light completely engulfed him. "Sealsdramon, Digivolve to..." The light grew larger and larger, as he flew higher and higher. And when it faded, an entirely new Digimon appeared that none of them had ever seen before.
It was a massive twin-rotor helicopter Digimon, large enough to fit a double-decker bus inside. It was mostly dark blue, with black, yellow and silver here and there. A gatling gun was located on its underside and in place of a cockpit, it had a large brown robotic dragon head.
The Digimon spun its rotors, allowing it to take flight and soar above his opponent. "Cargodramon!"
Everyone was in shock at this beast, since none of them had ever seen or heard of such a Digimon.
"Incredible!" Twilight whispered, "I thought he'd become Tankdramon. But this..." They watched, as Cargodramon flew back down. BlueMeramon saw this and unleashed a blast of icy fire.
But the Machine Digimon flew to the side to avoid the blast as the gatling gun on his fuselage started spinning. "Suppression Strike!" A hail of bullets began to rain down on the factory, ripping through the metal roof and BlueMeramon's only foothold.
The Flame Digimon rushed towards the edge, a trail of bullets following him as he reached the edge. He then unleashed a burst of blue fire and created an ice ramp, which he slid down only to find it shatter as soon as the bullet hit it.
He cried out as he fell to the ground, slamming into the floor and staggering forward.
BlueMeramon: 2-80%
Cargodramon: 3-100%
BlueMeramon panted as he pushed himself up, whilst Cargodramon circled around to get him in his sight. "Ice Phantom!" He unleashed the blue fire and it shot towards Cargodramon, hitting him head on before he could move out of the way. The flames struck him in the face and froze it solid, then hit the gatling gun and froze that too.
BlueMeramon: 2-80%
Cargodramon: 3-90%
He smirked at this, thinking Cargodramon was now neutralised. But to his shock, the mechanical beast continued to fly downwards.
It hit the ground and rolled atop some wheel on the bottom of its belly, as its rotors stopped spinning. They then turned ninety degrees and curled into a trio of finger-like claws, BlueMeramon gasping as one of the rotors suddenly shot towards him.
Like a claw machine, the rotors clanged together and tried to grab him. But he leapt up and they slammed into the building behind him. But as he was in midair, the other rotor shot up and grabbed him. "Augh!" he cried, feeling it squeeze him between the tips of the rotors. "Let...go!"
The ice shattered off his head, as he finally spoke. "Gladly." With that, he spun his rotors and BlueMeramon around. The Fire Digimon cried out, as he was eventually released and sent flying.
He flew across the complex and smashed into the side of another building, the metal bending so much from the impact the wall gave out and broke apart. Everyone watched, as the Ultimate Digimon was buried alive by the rubble and trapped beneath it.
BlueMeramon: 2-50%
Cargodramon: 3-90%
Cargodramon's rotors returned to their normal state and allowed him to take off, the Machine Digimon soaring back into the air as the ice around his gatling gun began to melt off of it. A few moments later, the pile of rubble was pushed away and BlueMeramon picked himself up.
"This...sucks." He looked up at Cargodramon, only to then notice something behind him.
Looking around, he saw not only an SP Coin, but also a Digivolution Coin had been revealed when the wall and part of the roof came down. "Yes!" He rushed forward and grabbed them both, sighing as the power flowed into him. As he did, Cargodramon began his assault.
"Suppression Strike!" He unleashed the barrage of bullets down upon BlueMeramon, the Ultimate Digimon attempting to escape but still getting hit by a few of the attacks.
BlueMeramon: 2-20%
Cargodramon: 3-90%
But as he took the damage, BlueMeramon launched a blast of ice fire in front of him. Doing so created a U-shaped ramp, which he leapt onto and slid down before flying up and off the end.
He shot into the air, straight towards Cargodramon. And before the Machine could move out of the way, he slammed into the wing and held on tight. "Hey!" Cargodramon started spinning around, "let me go!"
"No way!" BlueMeramon cried, "you're going down." He pulled himself up onto his wing and his fist flames ignited. "Frost Knuckle!" He slammed his fist into the wing and it froze part of the wing, making Cargodramon flinch.
BlueMeramon: 2-20%
Cargodramon: 3-75%
BlueMeramon then punched again, then another three times as more of the wing froze over and Cargodramon felt himself getting weaker.
BlueMeramon: 2-20%
Cargodramon: 3-15%
Cargodramon finally spun around, trying to throw BlueMeramon off of him. But the icy Ultimate had frozen his feet to the wing and held on tight.
"Fine then!" Cargodramon cried. "You wanna ride? I'll give you a ride!" With that, he started flying around wildly. BlueMeramon held on as best he could, as the opponent swung around like crazy. And when Cargodramon levelled out, he let go of the wing and hit it with one more Frost Knuckle.
BlueMeramon: 2-20%
Cargodramon: 3-0%
Cargodramon suddenly felt one of his rotors beginning to stall, the cold of the attacks making flying difficult. If he didn't get BlueMeramon and the ice off him, he would be in trouble.
It was then he spotted a nearby watchtower, designed to allow the factory workers to keep an eye out for any Digimon attempting to attack the factory to stop production. He spun towards it as the gatling gun began to spin. "Suppression Strike!" He unleashed a barrage of bullets upon the tower's base, causing it to break apart.
The tower fell in their direction, as Cargodramon positioned his wing under it.
BlueMeramon saw it coming and gasped, attempting to form an ice shield around him. But the collapsing tower smashed it to bits and sent him flying off the wing, the ice on the wing also breaking off. "AUGH!" He cried, as he fell to the ground and was buried alive.
BlueMeramon: 2-10%
Cargodramon: 2-100%
Cargodramon smirked and as he did, he noticed a Digivolution Coin had been revealed from the rubble.
He quickly shot his claw down and grabbed the coin, absorbing its energy as the rubble atop BlueMeramon began to move. And as he flew up higher, the rubble exploded off of him as BlueMeramon stood tall. "BlueMeramon, Mega Digivolve to..." His body ballooned up to form a giant blue fireball, his head being consumed by the rest of him. After a few seconds, the fire solidified into a blue rock-like substance. This rock quickly began to crack before it finally broke apart.
Doing so revealed a giant Digimon that looked like Frankenstein's monster. His skin was green and he was wearing black leather pants, with metal bolts sticking out of his skin and chains wrapped around him. His face was covered in a metal mask with bolts and wires sticking out the side and on his back was a large metal axe.
Said axe was quickly removed from his back, the Digimon swinging it around as he let out a roar. "BOLTMON!"
"That's not good," Flash gulped as the others nodded.
"Actually," Twilight smiled. "Boltmon's a Data Type, so Shining has the advantage again. But even so, it's still a Mega and has a lot of power behind its attacks." They watched as Boltmon remove the axe from its back and charged forward. He leapt into the air and held the ace up high.
"Tomahawk Crunch!" He swung the axe at Cargodramon and before he could escape, the axe sliced through the rotor on his left wing.
"AUGH!" Cargodramon roared, as his blades were cut short.
Boltmon: 2-10%
Cargodramon: 2-80%
He lost flight ability and began to fall towards the ground, as Boltmon landed and turned to smirk at him. "Not gonna be much issue without the ability to fly!" But as he said that, Cargodramon's gun pointed at him and unleashed a barrage of bullets before he could dodge. "GYAH!"
Boltmon: 2-0%
Cargodramon: 2-80%
Boltmon staggered back, but regained his balance as Cargodramon slammed into the ground and smashed into a building.
Boltmon: 1-100%
Cargodramon: 2-60%
Cargodramon moaned, as he did his best to unbury himself from beneath the rubble. As he did, Boltmon walked towards him with his axe at the ready. "Time to say goodbye."
"Goodbye," Cargodramon replied, "to my Ultimate form." As he said that, his entire body was surrounded by light. "Cargodramon, Mega Digivolve to..." The helicopter Digimon began to transform, its body became more humanoid. And eventually, the light faded to reveal an entirely new Digimon.
It was a giant dragonic Digimon covered in blue armor with yellow and pink trim. His tail had an axe on the end of it and on his right arm was a large energy blaster and lance. His wings were made out of light, which were sticking out of his back and sparked with energy.
The Digimon leapt into the air and spun around, his energy weapon charging up. "DARKDRAMON!"
Boltmon gasped as he stepped backwards, as Darkdramon leapt up into the air. As soon as he did, he raised his lance as it began to light up. "Dark...ROAR!" A sphere of black energy appeared on the tip and the Cyborg Digimon swung it around, launching the blast towards Boltmon.
The Data Type raised his axe and slashed at the orb, only for it to explode right in front of him. "AUGH!" He was knocked flying backwards, taking a lot of damage as he was.
Boltmon: 1-70%
Darkdramon: 2-60%
Boltmon was sent flying and as he was, he quickly threw his axe in Darkdramon's direction. But Darkdramon quickly blocked the attack with his lance before flying forward. As Boltmon hit the ground, Darkdramon was on him and stabbed at him with his lance.
But Boltmon was able to grab the tip of his lance, right before it could pierce his belly. The two fought against one another, only for Darkdramon's pendulum tail to rise up. He slashed at Boltmon, but the Digimon Frankenstein managed to move his head out of the way before pushing the lance back and rolling out from under Darkdramon.
But as he did, Darkdramon's eyes glowed. "Terrible Gaze!" Lasers exploded out of his eyes and hit Boltmon in the chest, making him cry out as he was sent staggering backwards.
Boltmon: 1-50%
Darkdramon: 2-60%
The Cyborg Digimon used this chance to fly in fast, slashing at Boltmon with his tail. "Augh!" He cried, taking more damaged and being knocked back. As he was, he found his axe wasn't too far away.
Boltmon: 1-35%
Darkdramon: 2-60%
Leaping for the weapon, he grabbed it by the handle and pulled it from the ground as Darkdramon slashed at him. The axe and pendulum bounced off one another, the impact knocking Boltmon off balance whilst Darkdramon held up his lance once again.
"Dark Roar!" The orb of black energy shot towards Boltmon, who leapt into the air this time as the attack exploded on the ground beneath him.
But being in the air meant he couldn't properly defend himself, as Darkdramon flew past him and thrust his lance into Boltmon's back. "GYAH!" He screamed, as the attack pierced his body.
Boltmon: 1-20%
Darkdramon: 2-60%
Darkdramon kicked Boltmon off his lance and he fell to the ground, barely able to land without losing his balance. As he did, he clutched his stomach which was leaking data everywhere.
"It's over," Darkdramon announced as he held up his lance and used the last of his SP. "DARK ROAR!" Making the orb as large as possible, he fired it towards Boltmon who tried to once again dodge it. But with the injury he had sustained, he could do nothing except brace himself as the orb exploded in his face.
"He screamed, as the explosion sent him flying backwards towards the rubble of a destroyed building. As he crashed into it, his final Security shattered.
Boltmon: 1-0%
Darkdramon: 2-60%
Darkdramon shot forward, flying as fast as he could towards Boltmon. And as he got in close, the mutant Digimon threw his axe at him. But he simply deflected it with his lance before thrusting it forward, right into Boltmon's chest. Boltmon screamed as his digital body exploded, Blaze Burner falling out of him.
"Battle Over! Winner, Shining Armor!"
Everyone in the foyer exploded into cheer, as the battlefield vanished and Darkdramon reverted back to human form.
"He did it!" Veemon cheered, "that other guy didn't stand a chance." The others all agreed, thinking the same thing. Though Blaze had a few moments where he seemed to have Shining on the ropes, Shining overcame them each time and brought the battle into his favour.
Twilight smiled at the screen, as Monodramon appeared out of Shining's Digivice. "You're amazing, BBBFF."
Shining sighed, that battle having helped him work up quite a sweat.
Blaze sat himself up, clutching his chest as the phantom pains slowly faded. "You were good," Shining told him. "But you've still got a long way to go before you're ready for the next step." Blaze glared at him, as the robotic voice spoke.
Shining Armor, you have claimed victory here in the Ultimate Stadium. For that, you have earned prize money." Shining smirked as his Digi-Dollars increased. "Also, this victory has allowed you to rank up to the Mega Level. Congratulations. You are the first Mega Level Codex Player." That made Shining ecstatic, Monodramon cheering as well.
"You rock!" He leapt up and high-fived his partner, the man nodding as he and Blaze headed out the stadium.
Back at the foyer, Flash looked around and heard many who had been watching as they talked about their favourite part of the battle.
Said battle was being replayed on the big screen, Flash watching as Shining managed to overwhelm his opponent. He realised that Shining was now a Mega, whilst he was still a Rookie. Flash was still a long way off from getting to face off against him. But there was one thing that would help him get closer to Shining.
"Veemon," Flash stood up, "let's go."
"Where are we going?" Veemon asked, getting up to follow Flash.
"To the Rookie Stadium. it's time we ranked up as well." Flash's friends heard this and all smiled, knowing Shining's victory had likely inspired him. Flash would not allow anything to get in his way. He was gonna win this fight and rank up to Champion. And once he did, he would be one step closer to facing Shining Armor.