Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Donkey Madness ❯ The Battle of Many Faces ( Chapter 14 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Started: February 11, 2001
Finished: February 17, 2001 (Less than a week?! For once?? Aw, yeah! ^_^)

Ken Ichijouji ran through the forest, swatting at branches and whatever else came between him and his destination. He burst into the clearing the Digidestined had made into a camp, seeing Cody Hida quickly explaining the situation to the other gathered children. They turned to acknowledge the new arrival.

Yolei Inoue inhaled sharply at the sight of the Ken. He looked only half-dressed, clad in only his Digimon Emperor bodysuit and his boots; he hadn't even managed to put on his gauntlets or cape before racing from the river. His dark blue eyes flared as he stood there, brushing a strand of indigo hair from his eyes.

Wait a minute . . . since when did he wear his hair down?

"Utagaumon's back!" Ken hissed, his teeth clenching as he looked back in the direction of the river. The angry expression didn't seem right on the boy's face, framed in calmed, indigo hair and free of those yellow sunglasses. "Wormmon armor digivolved, but I think we'll need the other Digimentals."

Davis Motomiya nodded, not even thinking of doubting the emperor's words. "Let's get going, then!" He waved the others to follow him, Ken taking up the lead as they hurried down to the river.

The furious sound of splashing water made its way to the children's ears as they ran, followed by growls and roars of battle. The group of six spilled out of the forest to see Archelomon and Utagaumon locked in combat, the sea serpent trying to wrap himself around the sea turtle as Archelomon slashed out with his bladed arms.

"Fin Cutter!"

"They're both water digimon trying to fight in a narrow river," Kari Kamiya noted as Seadramon dodged the projectile attack. "It must be incredibly difficult for them both."

T.K. agreed with a knowing frown. "Seadramon's more capable in narrow areas; Utagaumon's got the upper-hand and knows it." He turned to looked at the Digimon Emperor. "Ken, Wormmon's not fit to fight in that form here -- maybe in the ocean, but not here. You need to choose another Digimental."

Ken nodded gravely, his eyes silently following the battle. ". . . I thought as much." He raised his voice and took a few steps forward. "Archelomon, disengage and de-digivolve; we've gotta try something different!"

Archelomon quickly broke away from the confrontation, glowing brightly as the combined power of Ken's digivice and Cody's Digimental was taken away from him. Wormmon sneezed as he bounded out of the water, trying to put distance between him and Utagaumon.

"Foolish move, emperor," snapped Utagaumon. "Ice Blast!"

For a moment, all that Ken saw was a wave of frozen death coming straight at him. The moment was brief however, as arms wrapped around him from behind and sent him flying forward.

And then a familiar voice pierced the air, a scream laced with pain.

Ken pulled himself and his unknown savior from the area of Utagaumon's attack, his blue-violet eyes going wide as he realized who had saved him. "Yolei. . ."

The lavender-haired girl looked up through misted glasses, panting heavily but grinning. Her smile seemed to ignore the shining layer of ice that had wrapped around her legs, even if the rest of her didn't. "'Thought I'd get in on the fun and see what I was missing. . .," she laughed weakly. "T.K. and you've been doing all of the saving lately . . . I didn't want to seem like a chicken."

"You idiot. . . You could've killed yourself. . ." Ken didn't seem to realize just how close he was holding the girl, his arms encircling her as she lay partly on the sand and partly on him.

"Yolei!!"

Ken looked up to see the Digidestined surrounding him and Yolei, Kari grabbing the other girl's hand and squeezing it. "Yolei . . . oh, God! We've got to get the ice off!"

"Ken-chan!" A shrill shout from Wormmon reminded the Digimon Emperor of the other problem on his hands, and he quickly snatched Cody's D-terminal from the boy again. Accessing the two Digimentals on the handheld computer, Ken made sure that he wouldn't call upon the Digimental of Reliability.

"Digi-Armor, energize!"

"Wormmon Armor Digivolve to . . . Searchmon, the earth's insight!"

Searchmon immediately leapt at Utagaumon, the two digimon going at it as the children tended to their injured friend. "Get her back into the forest," ordered Davis. The firm look on his face left no room for argument. "Ken and I'll stay here with Wormmon; someone has to watch the guy's back." He gave the indigo-haired boy a wry smile.

Cody, Kari, and T.K. nodded. The blonde boy pulled out his D-terminal and pushed it into Davis' hands. "I'm not sure how good Hope will be against Utagaumon, but Ken needs access to as many Digimentals as possible." T.K.'s computer was soon joined by Yolei's, which Kari managed to fish out of the girl's pocket.

As he watched the exchange between the two boys, Ken's hands searched the sand blindly for something. His cape lay half-buried in the sand, waiting patiently for someone to find it. He took hold of it, draping it around Yolei's shoulders as she shuddered. ". . . Keep her safe."

A glimmer of something could be seen in T.K.'s eyes as those words left Ken's mouth, and the Digidestined of Hope smiled. "We will. Don't worry."

Ken simply frowned solemnly, brushing off his bodysuit as he stood up. He took Davis' D-terminal out of the small stack of devices and turned to face Wormmon, who had backed off and de-digivolved upon seeing his friend pull out another D-terminal. Digimental of Friendship. Lightning. Against lightning, Seadramon doesn't stand a chance.

"Digi-Armor, energize!"

"Wormmon Armor Digivolve to . . . Togemogumon, crystalline camaraderie!"

The much-smaller digimon faced Utagaumon fearlessly, growling as his teeth gnashed together. "Hail Machinegun!"

Utagaumon began to glow fiercely as the lightning-oriented attack flew at him, his form changing quickly and fluidly. Davis turned to look sharply at his friends. "Go! He's transforming, so you have a chance to run!"

"Be careful, you two!" Kari shouted, helping T.K. carry Yolei back into the forest. Cody ran behind them, concern written across his face plainly.

Only Davis and Ken were left to witness the creation of Utagaumon's new form, a short, humanoid digimon with a wide-brimmed witch's hat and a staff that floated nearby. The two boys had to squint against the sun to see the digimon, which descended easily until it was only a few meters off the ground.

"Wizardmon," reported Togemogumon, backing off warily, "a demon man digimon with a real knack for magic. His Magical Game and Thunder Ball attacks will have his opponents seeing stars. . ."

"I'm impressed," Utagaumon declared, crossing his arms. "You are a very wise digimon, despite your timidity. I can see why you became a Destined Digimon." He looked disdainfully at Ken. "Your partner, however, is far from worthy of any sort of title."

Togemogumon tensed at the insult directed towards his friend and partner, growling at the smaller digimon. "Stop making fun of Ken-chan!" he ordered. "Hail Machinegun!"

"Thunder Ball!"

Utagaumon's staff began to glow with great energy, a sphere of power bursting to intercept the bombardment of electric quills. There was a huge explosion, both digimon obscured by the smoke for several moments. Ken and Davis covered their eyes as they stood on the beach, staggering backwards as sand blew in their faces. By the time the smoke and dust lifted and settled, Togemogumon was leaping through the air and clawing at the shape-shifter. The Game Lord easily dodged, his levitation ability allowing him to put distance between him and his enemy easily. Togemogumon used his Hail Machinegun once more, hissing angrily at the attack was once again stopped before it reached its intended target.

Ken rubbed the grit from his eyes and surveyed the battle. "This is a losing battle," he confided in Davis. "A porcupine versus a flying mage isn't going to work."

"Try Shadramon," Davis suggested, gesturing to his D-terminal in Ken's hands. "He's the only flyer you've got right now, unless you wanna count that, uh, bird, Nohemon."

The taller boy nodded discreetly, averting his eyes to Togemogumon. "Togemogumon, de-digivolve! This isn't working!"

Wormmon once again appeared, his borrowed power taken away in streams of light. Ken was quick to access the other Digimental, executing the program and watching the orange beam of energy shoot forth and into his digivice. A Digimental he hadn't seen since alpha level appeared before him.

"Wormmon Armor Digivolve to . . . Shadramon, the winged inferno!"

Utagaumon's eyes narrowed at the new armored digimon, his confidence faltering momentarily as the fiery insect digimon took to butterfly wings and joined him in the sky. Black eyes burrowed into his determinedly. "Scared, Game Lord?" Shadramon ground out derisively.

"Hardly," was his reply.

"You should be." Shadramon tensed visibly, the air around him seeming to burn as an orange aura encased him. "Psychic Wave!"

Ken and Davis again shielded themselves as best they could, backing off further from the two digimon as the wide-range attack took on a visible form -- a sphere of fire that expanded in all directions. Utagaumon got caught in the flame wave, hissing in pain as his clothes were singed and his limbs began to hurt. Taking to the offensive, the shape-changing digimon raised his staff.

"Magical Game!"

Shadramon was quick to react, calling up his Flare Buster and blasting at Utagaumon before the attack could be executed completely. Cursing, Utagaumon dropped to the ground and began to transform again. Although obscured by the bright light, Utagaumon's outline allowed Ken and Davis to see that the new digimon walked on four legs instead of two.

Even before the light died, a growling voice shot through the air, startling all three enemies of the Game Lord.

"Howling Blaster!"

"DUCK!!" Davis yelled out, jumping and pushing Ken and himself out of the attack's range. Blue fire seared driftwood and vegetation that had managed to live on the riverside until that moment. The Digidestined shook his head in horror as he looked back at their new enemy. "I don't believe it! He morphed into Garurumon!"

Utagaumon sneered, advancing on the two downed humans. "I can morph any digimon I desire up to the champion level," he explained. "That includes any and all of the Destined Digimon."

"Flare Buster!"

The doppelganger digimon deftly leapt out of the way as Shadramon's attack came his way, shifting to look at his adversary carefully. "In the end, this battle is more a battle of wills than anything else," Utagaumon declared loudly. "We could continue to change our outer appearances, but the battle would never be met correctly."

Ken couldn't help but frown, nodding grudgingly in agreement. "Shadramon, take him!" he called, fists clenching.

Shadramon didn't argue, jetting forward and punching at the white-and-blue beast. Utagaumon feinted and snapped with sharp, canine teeth, a steely shriek piercing the air as his teeth failed to crush the Armor of Courage. Although one arm was caught in the other digimon's mouth, Shadramon managed to punch out with his free fist. Utagaumon released his grip immediately, trying to shake off the stars he saw from the blow to the head.

Davis stood numbly at Ken's side, watching the fight in frustration. "I wish I could help or something," he mumbled lowly. "If Veemon were here, we'd be kickin' this jerk's tail royally. . ."

"I wouldn't be surprised," replied Ken with a nod. He pulled wet tendrils of hair from his line of vision and shouted out in encouragement to his digimon partner. Davis soon joined in, flailing his arms as well.

"Psychic Wave!"

The shockwave attack sent Utagaumon rolling to the side, sliding into the river. When the shape-shifter didn't immediately get up, Ken pulled out Cody's D-terminal once again. "Shadramon!!" The digimon didn't have to hear an actual command to know what his partner wanted, reverting back to Wormmon instantly. His mind racing, the young emperor opened a Digimental used earlier in the battle.

"Wormmon Armor Digivolve to . . . Searchmon, the earth's insight!"

"What the. . .?" Davis stiffened at the sight of the silver bug digimon. "Ken, why did you--?"

"Searchmon uses more lightning-related attacks than Togemogumon," Ken clarified firmly. "Water conducts electricity. That digimon's dead meat." There was a calm resolution to the boy's words.

"Jamming Hertz!!"

A surge of electricity shot from the digimon's front legs and antennae, flashing dark purple as it sped across the ground. As soon as the electric attack touched the water, the whole river seemed to flare with energy, flashing and leaping with inserted power. In the midst of the river, Utagaumon's Garurumon form shuddered violently, twitching soundlessly in the middle of the stream. And then it was swallowed by the suddenly-violent river, never to be seen again.

Ken and Davis watched the whole incident solemnly, unable to stop staring at the river. Searchmon slowly approached them, returning to the form of Wormmon as he neared. He bowed his head sadly, antennae drooping.

". . . I'm sorry I had to do that," he whispered.

Frowning sadly, Ken knelt down and picked up his partner, walking back down the riverside. Davis followed silently, waiting patiently as the older boy retrieved his forgotten gauntlets and shades. They then traveled into the forest, lost in their own thoughts.

". . . I apologize."

If Ken was surprised by the voice, he did not show it. "Utagaumon shouldn't have been here," he growled. Wormmon closed his eyes in his partner's arms, glad that the angry words were not aimed at him. "This is supposed to be our resting time."

"Utagaumon acted on his own; he disobeyed my direct orders."

"Because of him, Yolei is half-frozen!" Davis decided to add his two cents, frustrated that he had nothing to glare at.

"I cannot properly compensate for the damage Utagaumon has done. I can, however, give you something." The two boys stopped as a shimmering cloak came billowing down to them from beyond the treetops. "The Silver Cloak is for the Digidestined of Hope."

"Another prize," Davis muttered, receiving the garment crossly. "What the heck are these things for?"

"Did you not already find the answer to that question, Digidestined? You have already used your prize."

"As a weapon?" The goggle-wearing boy frowned in surprise. "So they're supposed to be weapons?! What's T.V. supposed to do with a cape? And Kari with a vase?!"

"You will see in time. That is all I shall say."

Ken began walking again, Davis falling in step behind him. The renewed silence hung until they reached the campsite.

No one was hungry that night, for obvious reasons.

Three hours by the fire was all it took to melt the ice off of Yolei, who had complained weakly throughout the whole ordeal. It was easy to see that she was trying to lighten the mood, failing miserably. Kari, Cody, and Wormmon constantly fussed over her, always checking to see if she was warm enough or if she needed anything. Davis and T.K. stayed out of the way, awkwardly watching the three at work. Ken was as detached as ever, standing to the edge of the camp silently as he surveyed the scene.

As the stars began to come out, T.K. suggested they go to sleep early; Yolei needed her rest and all of them were exhausted from gamma level and the surprise attack. Wormmon agreed full-heartedly, falling asleep with Cody before anyone could stop him. Kari, Davis, and T.K. all fell asleep on the same blanket, the two boys careful to not invade the space of their crush -- who had inconspicuously made it a priority to sleep between the two.

Ken watched his comrades -- his friends -- turn in for the night, his eyes not staying on one of them for too long. He moved quietly to Yolei, who lay stretched out beside the fire. She surprised him by opening her eyes, smiling softly at him.

"Hi," she greeted in a whisper. "You've been quiet all day."

Those beautiful, dark blue eyes glinted in the firelight, avoiding her own for a few moments. "You almost died for me. How am I supposed to react?"

Yolei laughed lightly. "Well, you could've said 'thank you.'"

". . . Thank you, then," Ken managed. His eyes stopped their roaming and found hers, locking and not letting go of her gaze. ". . . Why did you do that?"

"Gut instinct," Yolei replied cheerfully. It blew Ken's mind that she could be so happy after a near-death experience. "I saw a cute boy about to get hurt and I had to do something about it."

The young emperor wasn't quite sure why, but he could feel his cheeks burn at her words. "Yolei, really. . ."

Yolei simply laughed quietly in response, wrapped in one of the two blankets Kari had packed and the cape Ken had never taken back. Ken stood up and shook his head, turning to leave the campsite for the tree he slept in. He had gotten to the edge of the camp when he heard a soft voice call out to him.

"Ken. . ."

He turned immediately, making his way back to the lavender-haired girl's side. She sighed, her fingers moving nervously as she spoke. ". . . Can I ask a favor of you?"

His response was semi-automatic. "Of course."

A few seconds passed in silence between the two, the crackling of the campfire the only sound either could hear. Yolei lowered her eyes. "Can I . . . look at the stars from your tree before I sleep? . . . It's such a beautiful view."

There was one moment of astonishment after the request, but only one. The indigo-haired boy smiled slightly as he nodded. He moved deftly and quickly, one arm supporting and the other carrying. Two arms wrapping around his shoulders, a heart pounding rapidly against his. Then the act of standing, lifting with the knees and carefully balancing. Turning, walking, holding. Multi-tasking.

And like a gallant knight with his dream maiden, Ken Ichijouji walked into the darkness carrying Yolei Inoue in his arms.

*sighs* Kenlei, Kenyako. . . I loved writing that ending scene. The idea was just waiting to burst out. ^_^

Let's see . . . two Digimentals left unopened. One Game Lord remaining. Four prizes gained. Are we reaching an ending . . . or a beginning?