Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ War Diaries: Adventures Zero-Three ❯ Soul Reaper ( Chapter 8 )

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

War Diaries - Adventures Zero-Three

Entry 8: Soul Reaper

By Lord Archive

Digimon belongs to Toei Animation Inc., Saban Entertainment, Fox Kids and others. They are used without consent. And since Toei doesn't want them anymore, I'm not giving them back.

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"Sorry, kid, but even if you are serious. I don't have a job for a twelve-year-old," said the plump old grocery store owner.

"Thanks anyway." Takeru bowed and turned around. "Thanks for nothing," he muttered. With Hikari being pregnant, he needed a job to help support her. He wished his friends could help, but the only available job they could offer Taichi got stuck with-- flower arranging at Mrs. Takenouchi's shop. However, he was too young to find work.

Takeru kicked a can in disgust as he turned down the street.

The air in front of the grocery store began to shimmer. Then slowly a long curved blade emerged from it.

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Koushiro fidgeted. "Um... well... ah... you see...."

Ayashi, a girl with long black hair and healthy appearance which Koushiro had been helping with school work, looked perplexed. "What is it?"

"It's just a few of my friends are going to Lasar Assault this Friday, and I was wonder-" Koushiro was cut off as his backpack started to beep. "Ugh. Not now." He pulled off his backpack and pulled out his modified laptop.

Ayashi glanced over his shoulder wondering what was going on. She could swear he was going to ask her out, but then dropped what he was saying altogether.

"It is one of those unstable portals." Koushiro accessed a file to locate Chosen. It showed that Takeru was only a block away from the portal and that Iori's team was in the area. He sent them all a message to investigate it.

"Koushiro, what's going on?" Ayashi asked.

"Just my after school job," Koushiro replied simply.

"What kind of job is this?" Ayashi wondered. The confusing mess of information on the computer's screen did not help her figure any of it out.

"Very complicated one to explain. I'll have to tell you about it later," Koushiro replied. He tapped his fingers impatiently.

Ayashi read the message that popped up from someone named Takeru and blinked in confusion.

"Oh, dear gods no." Koushiro paled, pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed.

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An officer yawned. He loved his Odaiba beat. It was always pleasant and peaceful.

Two kids and a large yellow armadillo rode past him on a zebra unicorn while a giant ape carried an upset looking girl in a wheelchair.

The officer took off his glasses, cleaned them, and put them back on. No more late night movies for him.

"Hiro, didn't you just see that?" another officer questioned.

"You mean I wasn't seeing things?" officer Hiro asked.

"Nope. Duty calls."

"Are you sure, Isao?" Hiro gulped as he got into their mini-patrol car.

"Positive." The sirens blared as they drove off.

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The scene before Iori's team was that of a nightmare. A car was on fire with the driver already burnt to death. The sidewalks were lined with dismembered corpses. And at the far end floated the ghastly form of a Phantomon, with his scythe dripping fresh blood.

Yume leaned over the side of her wheelchair and threw up.

Sayuri shuddered uncontrollably.

Iori glared with the promise of death. He and Armadimon jumped off Shima Unimon. "We've got to stop him now."

"Armadimon evolve!" A pillar of light surrounded the armadillo digimon. When it subsided a large yellow ankylosaur dinosaur digimon stood in his place. "Ankylomon!"

Sayuri remembered that digimon from Koushiro's files. "That's Phantomon, he's a perfection level digimon. How are we going to stop him?"

"We've got to contain him until help arrives. Ankylomon go!" Iori pointed. He then sent out a general distress signal from his D-Terminal.

"Right." The dinosaur digimon charged.

"Iori, what about the portal. It looks like it's about to close," Yume noted weakly.

Iori didn't reply.

Sayuri slid off Shima Unimon. "You've got to support him."

"Tail Hammer!" Ankylomon swung his clubbed tail, but was parried by Phantomon's scythe.

"Raster Shot!" A flat beam washed over the ghost digimon.

"Bone Rod!" A bone weapon struck him as well.

"You are not worth my time," Phantomon said simply. With a twist of his ghastly wrist, the metal chain attached to the end of his scythe whipped out, striking both Shima Unimon and Hanumon.

Ankylomon crashed into the ghost, trying to restrain his foe, but was easily tossed aside.

"Say, goodbye. Death Sentance!" Phantomon raise his scythe and slashed across Ankylomon's chest, causing the dinosaur to cry out in pain and collapse to the ground. Without a word, the ghost merely turned and continued to float down the street.

Shima Unimon and Hanumon tried to take advantage of the offered back of their enemy, charging in to strike him, only to have Phantomon's chain whip out at them. The metal links wrapped around Shima Unimon. With a jerk, the zebra unicorn was whirled through the air and thrown into the fifth story of a building. Phantomon then slammed the pole of scythe into Hanumon's gut, who was about to punch him, and sent her flying.

"I suspected that the ninth Chosen Child would have been better protection than this. And you don't even run away when you had the chance," Phantomon said smugly.

"I don't run from fights." Takeru glared at the digimon.

"It was high time that hope died!" Phantomon raised his scythe he stopped and turned as he heard the aproaching sound of a roaring engine and a siren blaring.

A mini-patrol car used an overturned car as a ramp and smashed straight into Phantomon, sending them flying down the street.

Officer Isao chuckled dizzily as he pulled himself from the car. "Ain't no way I'm letting you hurt a kid."

"That was a fatal mistake." Phantomon clutched his weapon.

"Meteor Wing!" Fire rained down from the sky onto Phantomon.

Birdramon flew past carrying Sora and Taichi on her back.

"The cavalry is here!" Yume cheered.

The fire subsided and Phantomon appeared unharmed. He swung his scythe angrily, bisecting the police officer in the process.

Iori's eyes dilated as the police officer fell.

"Oh, no." Sayuri covered her mouth.

Yume covered her face.

Ankylomon staggered toward his partner. "Iori, calm down. Please... calm down...." His whole body began to shake violently.

Sayuri looked at Iori in confusion. How could he not be calm? He was standing completely still in shock.

"Iori, please! Don't!" Ankylomon hugged himself.

Taichi's eyes widen. He hopped off Birdramon and landed briefly on Ankylomon's head, before jumping down to the ground. He landed poorly and went into a roll. He stood up in front of Iori. Yagami then apologized, "Sorry about this." He punched Hida in the face, knocking the young boy down for the count.

"What are you doing?!" Sayuri yelled at Taichi.

Taichi turned around and watched Ankylomon. "Preventing a bigger tragedy."

"Thanks...." Ankylomon devolved and then fell unconscious.

"Quite amusing. Though I have no idea what attacking your own would help you gain." Phantomon twirled his scythe. "This fight is at an end."

"Indeed it is. Heaven's Knuckle!"

A golden light washed over Phantomon, who exploded into data.

Sayuri and Yume stared in awe at the angel digimon that hovered in the air behind Takeru.

"Is everyone okay?" Angemon asked.

"I'm not sure," Sayuri answered looking down at Iori. She then glared at Taichi. "You better explain why you did that."

"Angemon, can you do something for the injuries?" Takeru asked.

"I can ease the pain." Angemon stretch his arms out and a golden light washed over the street. When it subsided Patamon flopped into Takeru's arms. "That takes a lot out of me."

Suddenly the area was surrounded by police cars and fire trucks making it impossible for the children and their digimon to flee.

Taichi sighed. "This will be hard to explain."

"That's an understatement," Sora commented, as she walked to him with Piyomon following her.

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A little boy watched as a nondescript officer in dress uniform entered his home. He remembered seeing them dressed like that when his father graduated from police academy a couple months ago.

"Mrs. Hida, I have come here on behalf of the Odaiba Police Force. While officer Hida was assigned to protect a scientist, he was killed in the line of duty," the officer said flatly.

Tears leaked out his mother's eyes and she covered her mouth. "H-how did he die?"

"He was knocked into a power generator with the attacker and were electrocuted with an extremely high voltage. He was cremated almost instantly," the officer answered. "You have our condolences...."

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Iori groaned as he woke up. "What hit me?"

"Taichi did," Sayuri answered.

Iori sat up too quickly and almost fell back down. He wearily noted he was in his grandfather's dojo and that those involved in the fight were there. "What happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Taichi asked.

"Watching Phantomon kill a police officer," Iori replied.

"Remember anything after that?" Taichi asked.

Iori shook his head. "Did I do something?"

"You were about to." Takeru sighed. "You were calling for Ankylomon to evolve."

Sayuri blinked. "He didn't say anything."

"You don't have to call out verbally to cause evolution. You call out with your soul, your spirit," Takeru explained.

"But how could I?" Iori asked. "I don't have the ability to send Ankylomon to perfection level without you, Takeru."

"There is a way to achieve evolution without having the correct energy for it." Taichi sighed. "And so far only a handful of us have been stupid enough to succeed at that."

Sora smirked. "Taichi being idiot number one. You can force evolution, but it's something you must NEVER do. When Taichi forced Greymon to evolve when he wasn't ready, he became Skull Greymon. An angry, evil, destructive, uncontrollable digimon of unimaginable power."

"Sure, rub it in," Taichi griped.

"What are fiancees for?" Sora returned.

Yume couldn't help but giggle, and when Sora joined in soon the entire room was laughing and breaking the serious air about them.

"You going to be all right?" Taichi asked.

"Yeah. Just need some aspirins. You punch like a truck," Iori answered.

Taichi chuckled.

"Takeru, do you know why Phantomon called you the ninth child?" Iori asked.

Takeru shrugged. "When Vamdemon called Hikari the eight child, I thought it was because she was the last member of our original group and that would've made me the seventh. Maybe it has something to do with the order we were selected, since her and Taichi became Chosen before I was and that there were at least five before them."

"We'll just add it to Koushiro's pile of things to investigate," Taichi commented.

Sora glanced at her watch. "We have to get to your home. Yagami-okaasan probably has diner ready."

Taichi pouted. "Right. To bad we didn't get arrested."

Takeru sagged. "The jail food has to be better."

Sora clasped both of them on the shoulder. "Health food is good for you. See you." She dragged the reluctant boys away.

"Bye," Piyomon waved as she followed them.

Patamon sighed and left. "What one does for love and family."

"Arrested?" Iori asked.

"Well, the cops showed up before we could leave," Yume replied.

"They didn't take kindly to us digimon," Psychemon added.

"Fortunately Officer Hiro witnessed most of the fight and that when the captain found out who you were, they let us all go," Sayuri explained. "How do they know you?"

Iori sighed and looked down. "My father was a police officer. He died in the line of duty."

Yume gasped. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Iori shook his head. "Don't be. That happened five years ago."

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Author's Notes:

My, my, my. How many dangling plot lines Toei left behind for me to play with. I going to have so much fun toying with a few of the little plot lines they could've done things with, but never did.

While some things are not set in stone, I do have most of this series plotted. Zero-Three looks to be about 50 entries with a few surprises for how evolutions will occur.

Coming Soon - Entry 9: Lasar Assault
Fun at the arcade won't be fun for every one.