Takato left the taxi as last. He turned around to the cab driver and smiled. "Thanks for everything, we can go the rest by ourselves."
"Hey, no prob, kid," the Divermon said. "Jus' call me when yer ready to head back! See ya later!"
And while the taxi turned around and drove away, Takato stepped up next to his friends, who were already staring up at the enormous palace in awe.
"Well, it is great to be back in the Digital World for once," Terriermon spoke up. "But I've never seen anything as impressive as that. Even Zhuqiaomon's domain could not compare to this."
In front of them, a massive bridge with enormous spire was spanning a deep canyon that was going around the palace... and behind it, they could see the biggest mountain they've ever seen. Numerous crystalline structures were placed upon its surface, and here and there, numerous windows, balustrades and roofs were carved into the shimmering surface of the unknown mineral the mountain was composed of. The very top of the mountain was hidden within the clouds.
Guilmon whistled. "Not bad! Who's his architect?"
"Azulongmon is the oldest and wisest of the Four Sovereigns," Lopmon explained. "He had much more time to construct his domicile then the other three... Besides, for some reason, he has the most followers, and they are working on his palace day and night."
"Well, then I suppose the problem where we can spend the night is solved," Harmony shrugged. "I mean, with a palace this big, there are bound to be some guest rooms, right?"
"We can always ask him, right?" Suzie grinned and suddenly started running towards the big bridge. "Last one's a lazy Sukamon!"
"W-w-wait, Suzie!" Lopmon shouted and flew in front of her Tamer. "We can't just storm in like this... we may have to confront the guardian."
"A Guardian?" Takato wondered. "Hey, he is the one that invited us, right? Why place a guardian in front of us?"
"Well, I'm sorry, but..." Lopmon fiddled nervously with her ears. "It's common practice..."
Rika sighed. "Never mind... Okay, let's get this over with." And confidently, she stepped up onto the bridge. The others followed.
After they left about the half of the way behind them, they could already see the guardian that was sitting right in front of them, blocking their way from getting past. It was a big, white-skinned Reptile Digimon, with sharp claws and feathered wings.
"Gargoylemon!" Lopmon whispered. "The guardian of Azulongmon's palace!"
Gargoylemon had already seen them coming. Now that they were standing in front of him, he smugly crossed his arms and looked down at them.
"If you think you're going this way, you can think again," he said in a deep, rumbling voice.
"Oh, he's a real charmer," Renamon said.
"Please, can't we just get past?" Suzie asked in her most polite voice. "We want to talk to Azulongmon."
Gargoylemon shook his head. "No! I don't think so. I've only just got comfy."
Terriermon scratched his head. "You know, this scene somehow seems familiar to me..."
"Have you ever sat on a piece of gothic architecture for two hundred years?" Gargoylemon went on. "Gets right up your arse you know. Thought it was about time to move to a bridge, say, and I'm not moving now."
Jeri blushed upon hearing the 'A-word'. Harmony looked at Takato. "Takato, say... Did you make sure that this game of yours is G-rated?"
"Um, no, not really..."
"Ah, I thought so. Just wanted to know, thanks."
Guilmon blinked up at the white gargoyle. "Isn't it a bit too early in the day to be talking about gothic architecture?"
Gargoylemon smirked. "Well, if you care to come a little bit closer, we can discuss things of another nature."
When Guilmon was going to approach the guardian, Terriermon quickly grabbed his arm. "Guilmon, you don't want to do that, trust me."
"Huh?" The red dinosaur was confused. "Why?"
"Let's just say I am familiar with what comes next. Gimme just a second..." He took off his backpack and rummaged through his things. "Let's see, it has to be somewhere in here... Aha, there it is!"
Terriermon smirked triumphantly as he pulled a big frying pan out of his backpack.
Rika blinked. "Should I even ask how you managed to put a frying pan in there, seeing how it is easily bigger than your backpack?"
"I was rather gonna ask why he was bringing a frying pan in the first place..." Jeri mumbled.
Terriermon slowly walked up to Gargoylemon, frying pan in hand, smirked up at the guardian, drew it back... and slammed it hardly against the Armor Digimon's foot.
At first, nothing happened... then Gargoylemon started laughing.
"Hahahah... Bwahahahahahah! A... a frying pan? You... you stupid little..."
Terriermon stepped back and smirked. "Watch carefully now!"
That's when Gargoylemon noticed how his laughing made him lose his balance. "Whoa... no, not this... AAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"
And with a yell, Gargoylemon stumbled over the edge of the bridge and fell down into the canyon.
Worried, Suzie looked over the edge. She sighed in relief when she saw that he was able to spread his wings in time and landed in a small alcove.
Takato stared at Terriermon. "How did you...?"
"Please, don't tell me you didn't recognize that scene," Terriermon spoke up after putting away the frying pan. "I don't know if the game constructed this little test by itself or if Kai decided to play a little joke, but this is clearly the same event as in the game 'Conker's Bad Fur Day'. Sounds familiar?"
While most of the others shook their heads, Harmony groaned. "Oh, you can't be serious, can you?"
"You know that game?" Jeri asked.
Harmony nodded with a sigh. "Well, let's just say that I hope we won't run into a foul-mouthed Hagurumon with a split personality on our way..."
The others looked at each other, shrugged and followed their friend into the big palace of Azulongmon afterwards.
----
They ran into nobody while they were walking through the endless halls and corridors. But as Lopmon knew the way to Azulongmon, they didn't really need a guide.
In the end, Lopmon lead them up a long stairway which ended on top of the mountain itself.
In awe, the Tamers were looking down at the clouds that were surrounding the peak, and at the marble pillars that were standing all around them.
Above them, Azulongmon was hovering.
"Ah, good to see you again, my friends," he spoke up in his friendly voice. "Thank you for coming."
Lopmon stepped up to the Digimon Sovereign of the Eastern Hemisphere and bowed. "Great Azulongmon, it is an honor."
"Oh, please, let us skip the formalities," Azulongmon asked. "After all, we have not much time."
"Well, we already figured that we weren't invited for a formal call," Rika said.
"Rika! Show a little more respect!" Harmony whispered.
Azulongmon laughed. "It's alright, young one! Everyone who enters my palace should say whatever he has in his mind. But you are right... I contacted Lopmon because I have something important to tell you."
"Is it about our Hybrid Digivolution?" Takato asked. "Or about Yamacus?"
"A bit of everything and something else, I'm afraid," the Great Dragon sighed. "Let's say I started to keep an eye not only on the Digital World, but also on your own after all those strange events started to happen."
"What do you mean?" Takato asked. "I mean, pretty much everything that happened was in our world."
"That's not quite correct, Takato," Azulongmon corrected him. "Every single change you made with that exceptional 'game' of yours affected the Digital World in some way."
Rika gasped. "You... you know that it changed reality?"
Azulongmon nodded. "Yes, I do. Actually, we Sovereigns are a few of those that are unaffected by this program's powers, as our own powers are far too great to be affected by it."
"That mean... everything you told me about this game WAS true," Harmony whispered. "And that I've been a... a... a BOY! Yuck!"
"Excuse me," Renamon spoke up. "But may I ask when and how you noticed that something strange was going to happen."
Azulongmon sighed. "It was about the same time that my... my mate disappeared.
"MATE??" everyone asked in disbelief, except Lopmon. They never knew Azulongmon had a mate.
Rika sternly looked at Takato, who raised his hands. "It wasn't me! Honestly!"
"Is it so unbelievable that an old Digimon like myself would have a wife on his side?" Azulongmon asked in amusement.
"Um... no, of course not!" Jeri blushed. "Please, forgive us."
"Relax, I can imagine it was a surprise for most of you. In fact, not many Digimon outside of our courts know that some of us Sovereigns have chosen a mate. I, for that matter, have chosen my beloved Magnadramon."
"But what could have possibly happened to her?" Harmony asked. "I mean, she is a Mega Digimon, like you, right?"
Azulongmon sighed. "Well... since that time, I found out that she has been kidnapped."
The Tamers stared at Azulomgmon in disbelief. Who could have possibly abducted a Digimon that was not only a Mega Level Digimon, but also the mate of one of the Four Sovereigns?
----
Ai struggled against the ropes that were around her body. "Put me down, Betamon! I'm gonna tell my parents, I mean it!"
The giant, red, serpentine Digimon that was carrying her by having grabbed the rope with his jaws, chuckled. "Don't make me laugh"And besides, it's MegaSeadramon in this form, remember that!"
After a while, they reached the deepest level of the underground complex in which the hideout was located.
MegaSeadramon smirked as he snaked his long body along the corridor. "In here, we have our most secure holding cells. So even if you were to digivolve, the bars will be able to hold you."
He touched one of the cell doors with his horn, and it opened. With a sudden movement of his head, he hurled the young Hybrid inside.
Ai yelped when she hit the hard floor of the jail cell. When she looked up from the ground, MegaSeadramon was just closing the door and sealed it.
"I'm coming back very soon," he grumbled. "And I hope that you made up your mind by then." Slowly, he turned around and disappeared in the darkness.
Ai sniffled and cowered on the cold stone floor of her cell. What was she gonna do now?
"I wanna go home..." she sobbed.
"Now, now, dear..." a gentle voice came forth from the darkness. "I'm sure everything will turn out just fine."
Ai looked around. "Where are you?"
A huge head with gentle eyes appeared in the darkness. "I'm over here, child! Please, come closer! I won't hurt you."
That's when Ai realized just how huge the cell MegaSeadramon had thrown her in was. It was not only big enough to hold the enormous Digimon that was talking to her, there was easily enough space for one or two additional Digimon of that size.
A little uncertainly, Ai stood up and walked over to the big body of the white-furred, serpentine dragon that was lying on the other side of the cell.
"Come to me, child! We can keep each other warm."
"Who... who are you?" the little Cupimon asked.
"I am Magnadramon! Don't worry, I'm on your side."
Ai thought about what happened the last time she trusted a stranger, but when she looked up into the gentle eyes of Magnadramon, she couldn't help but feel safe.
In the end, she cuddled up against the warm fur of the Mega Digimon, and Magnadramon protectively put an arm over her.
"I wanna go home," Ai sniffled again. "I want my Mommy and Daddy, and my brother..."
Magnadramon looked down at the young girl with pity. "I know how you feel," she sighed.
Ai looked up at her. "Do you miss your family too?" she asked.
"Oh yes," the dragon smiled. "Especially my dear husband, as well as our two daughters..." She sighed. "I should have never allowed them to leave the Digital World..." she whispered.
Ai tried to understand the Mega Digimon's words, but she got sleepy. "Huh?" she asked as she blinked. "What did you say?"
Magnadramon smiled down at her. "Never mind, it's not important. Sleep for now, young one! I'll protect you!"
Ai curled up in the warm coils of the dragon body and was soon fast asleep.
Magnadramon looked into the darkness of the jail cell that was strong enough to hold even Mega Digimon of her powers. The little girl had reminded her of her daughters when they had been young.
"Angewomon..." she whispered. "Please, take care of your sister..."
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(Posted Mon, 19 Mar 2007 11:24)
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