Chapter Text
Digimon Continuum: Temptation
Episode 5 – Reprisal: Part III
Sora Takenouchi
Whilst the hot breeze faded quickly, the warmth that coursed through Sora didn't. Which was odd, as Sora figured she should be dead, but her heart was still going a mile a minute, and she could feel Tai's breath tickling one of her ears, which meant he too was okay.
Opening one eye, she found herself cast into shadow. Tai was looking up and over his shoulder at their saviour, who had shielded them from Piedmon's attack, and Sora took a step back, trying to get a better look, as best she could with Tai still clinging to her as tightly as humanly possible. Her jaw dropped.
Above them, shining like the sun, was an enormous, golden bird whose vibrant mane of fiery feathers formed a crest that extended all the way down its spine and joined its flowing tail. Held aloft by four wings, the bronze helmet and black talons glinted in light as the sun broke through the cloud cover above. Sora had seen this Digimon once before – when her otherworldly counterpart had Digivolved her Biyomon to the Mega-level.
"Phoenixmon," Sora said, barely above a whisper, "Are… what, uh, how?" Sora suspected she already knew the answer to her own question, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to face that reality.
"Oh, Sora," Phoenixmon's voice was fiery and fierce, yet gentle and warm like a bird song on a spring morning. The Mega's blue eyes twinkled, her gentle laugh warmed Sora through and through. "In your heart, you already know how."
She'd be afraid of that.
But it didn't matter how this miracle had happened, Sora decided. What mattered now was that she had the strength to protect those she loved. She may not have wanted to fight, but now she could. Better than ever. She could cry tears of joy.
"Well, this is an unwelcome twist," Piedmon's voice ruined Sora's moment of triumph. The Clown of Hell had abandoned his post, lording over WarGreymon's downed body, slowly stalking his way over to Phoenixmon. "Still, as much of an annoyance as this is, you're a freshly born Mega, surely you realise you're no match for me?" For someone who was claiming to be annoyed, the evil Mega looked utterly gleeful, his smile wider now than it had been at any point earlier.
He truly was mad.
"Piedmon," Phoenixmon's voice sent a shiver down Sora's spine; her skin felt electric as the tranquil fury that radiated off her partner warmed her to the bone. Twisting in the air, Sora's partner turned to face down her foe. "You should never have returned, let alone come to this world. Now, perish is fire."
With a flap of her mighty wings, Phoenixmon conjured a barrage of deep crimson and gold flames that rolled towards the clown, a wave of divine fire. Piedmon, however, was too quick and leapt into the air above the rolling wave. He floated there for a moment, now eye-level with Phoenixmon, who was almost twice the Dark Master's size, before he went higher still, not the least bit intimidated.
"It is as I said," Piedmon sneered from his vantage above Phoenixmon, "you are still a fresh Mega-level Digimon. With the gulf in power between us, such meagre flames will never reach me!"
"But, Piedmon," Phoenixmon's voice was tinged with laughter, that puzzled even Sora, "Those flames weren't meant for you."
The clown's eyes went wide as he quickly understood. Sora, too, was quick to glance at the crater where WarGreymon had once lain, but he was gone. All that was left were a few scant embers and a few pillars of smoke.
"Where!?" Piedmon hissed, drawing two swords in preparation, but before he was ready, WarGreymon was on him, Dramon-Destroyer drawn back and ready. Tai's partner was once again shining like a golden beacon, freshly restored. The golden warrior caught the Dark Master with a mighty downward slash that sent the clown spiralling into the ground.
"Your refusal to stay down is really starting to become annoying, WarGreymon." Piedmon hissed as he picked himself out of the ground, glaring up at Tai's partner, who looked renewed by Phoenixmon's flames.
"I'll never stay down, Piedmon," WarGreymon assured him, landing a few feet in front of the clown, arms raised and ready for battle, "not when I have so much to fight for."
"Puh-lease spare me your heroic monologue." Piedmon drawled, looking as though he was repressing a shudder.
"Starlight Explosion!"
Despite his earlier claim, Piedmon's eyes went wide as the air in front of him exploded in golden light before he was swallowed whole by a barrage of holy flames. He was blown back as they exploded on impact. The two swords that he'd been holding were left to clatter to the ground as he went tumbling under the bridge connected to Aomi Station and went tumbling down the street.
"Phoenixmon, we must press our advantage!" WarGreymon called as he cannoned off after the Clown of Hell.
"I'm with you, WarGreymon," and with a flap of her gigantic wings, Phoenixmon followed WarGreymon's lead.
Sora and Tai followed the two Megas forward into battle. They had Piedmon fully on the defensive now, with WarGreymon locking the clown in close quarters for brief periods, giving Phoenixmon ample time to set up an attack from above, with the leader of the Dark Masters having to use everything he had left to avoid being caught in those golden barrages as he was slowly forced to retrat further down the street in the direction of the waterfront.
"Starlight Explosion!" Phoenixmon's cry came again, but quieter now, and as Sora looked up, she could see that her partner was growing more sluggish. Maybe Piedmon was right; this was their first time at the Mega-level, and Phoenixmon seemed to be burning through her energy at an insanely quick rate. The power it would have taken to restore WarGreymon was no doubt also taking its toll.
Speaking of, WarGreymon groaned as Piedmon was able to land a slash across his chest, forcing the pair far enough apart that the demonic clown was able to snap his fingers, replacing himself with another balloon copy, who was swallowed in the glittering flames of Phoeixmon's attack. Tai's partner dropped to one knee, clutching at his wounded chest as Piedmon reappeared a few feet from him, breathing heavily.
"Why can you Digibrats never just go quietly?"
"Because we aren't in the business of losing to clowns who have overstayed their welcome, Piedmon," WarGreymon growled back as he got back to his feet, but Sora could see even with Phoenixmon's rejuvenating flames, the battle had taken its toll.
"I'm not just some clown, you fool," Piedmon quite literally spat in retort, looking increasingly angry as he stamped one foot, gripping two of his blades tightly, "I am every nightmare you've ever had! I'm your worst dream come true! I'm everything you ever were afraid of! And I will carve that fear into your very soul before I watch you die - just as I have with everyone else who has dared to defy me."
WarGreymon only snarled back, ready himself for battle once more, before a loud clatter seemed to catch everyone off guard. To everyone's surprise, Puppetmon had fallen from the sky next to his fellow Dark Master in a tangle of wooden limbs and string. The little Pinocchio knock-off looked rather frazzled, coated in chunks of ice and the haft of his large hammer was bent at an awkward angle as he scrambled upright.
"Piedmon, you gotta help me! That brat and his dog are gunning for me!"
"Puppetmon, what are you doing here? You have a job to do!" Piedmon demanded of the shorter Dark Master. But the hellish clown seemed to have realised that the tide had truly turned against him now. If Puppetmon had appeared, then that could only mean that MetalGarurumon wasn't far behind. "Where are Machinedramon and MetalSeadramon?"
"Yeah, about that–!" Puppetmon's point was cut short when a quadrupedal cyborg wolf, armoured in dark blue metal, crashed down next to WarGreymon. MetalGarurumon had at long last arrived. Piedmon turned from Puppetmon, eyeing the latest arrival with growing anger.
"So, it's true. He really found a way to escape the Gate of Destiny." MetalGarurumon hissed through bared teeth, eying Piedmon with disbelief. "The others are on their way. Including MagnaAngemon. We'll soon put that clown back in his box."
The threat hung in the air, and Piedmon sneered. It wasn't just MagnaAngemon that was moments away, either. As soon as Matt caught up to his partner, Omnimon would make an appearance on the battlefield. The very Digimon the Dark Masters had been going to such lengths to avoid facing. Sora suspected that with Omnimon on their side, they wouldn't even need the Gate of Destiny to deal with Piedmon this time; they could destroy him outright.
Piedmon had to know as much, because he sighed and hung his head, muttering something that sounded like a curse.
"Sora! Tai!" It was Matt. Turning around, Sora saw the blond was looking down on them from the bridge out of Aomi Station, which was somehow still standing. Without saying anything further, he turned on his heel and ran out of sight, no doubt towards them at full pelt.
But when Sora turned back to Piedmon, she saw his head shoot up, smirking again, his eyes wide with mad glee. He even threw his head back, laughing manically, one hand clasped against his forehead, the other clutching his sides.
"Mission accomplished," What? Sora thought, but he hadn't done any of the things he claimed he was here to achieve.
But Sora's thoughts weren't allowed to linger, as the clown snapped his fingers, and a black void appeared behind him, splitting like a jagged mouth. Puppetmon needed no further prompting and quickly scampered into the void, vanishing in an instant. Piedmon was quick to follow him, stepping back into the void whilst never breaking eye contact with the gathered DigiDestined and their partners.
"Our time together must end here, so the day is yours, Digibrats," Piedmon gave a flourish and bow, "But I'll be back, and sooner than you think. After all, this is only the intermission of our tragic reunion. Prepare yourselves for the second act, because the Dark Lady herself will be in attendance, and I'd hate for you to put on a disappointing performance."
Then the black void snapped shut.
The battle was over.
And Sora's legs gave out.
With the adrenaline her body had been running on quickly fading, Sora had expected to plop to the ground with little grace or dignity. Yet a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist, keeping her mostly upright.
"Whoa there, I got you, Sora." Looking up, the redhead saw it was Tai who had caught her. He looked utterly exhausted, coated in dust and filth, but he also looked so relieved to have caught her, his eyes warm and his smile, though small, conveyed so much. "That first time Warp-Digivolving really takes it out of you, huh?"
"Hey, yourself." Was all Sora could manage in response, because whilst her body felt as heavy as lead, her heart was aflutter; light as a feather at Tai's teasing.
"Sora! Tai!" Matt's footfalls snapped Sora back to reality, and she found herself leaping back to her feet and out of Tai's arms as though he was about to catch fire. Turning to face the approaching blond, Sora saw Tai shuffle away from her, his gaze downcast and a look of guilt and something else marring his features. Sora could understand, because as she saw Matt get closer, she could see the worry and panic on his face, clear as day.
The blonde doubled over as he reached them for a brief second, before straightening up and observing their sorry state. "Sora, your leg."
Huh? Hadn't Kari said something about her leg earlier? Looking down, she saw that her right shin was now covered in a mixture of blood and dirt, probably a souvenir from Piedmon's explosive balloons. From the looks of things, it was dirtier than it was bloody; it didn't even look like it was still bleeding, which probably meant the cut was shallow if nothing else. Joe would undoubtedly have a look at it later.
"Just a scratch," Sora shrugged, only for Matt to engulf her in a tense hug, clearly more worried than she was.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Matt asked as he released his stranglehold on Sora, his eyes locking onto the large gash across Sora's right shin.
"It's fine, it looks worse than it is." Sora shook her head. They had much bigger things to worry about than a scratch. Matt didn't look all convinced, but relented with a sigh when Sora refused to blink under his piercing gaze. Instead, the blond turned to Tai, who gave a stiff nod in reply, which Matt returned, relief finally flooding his features as his body seemed to relax.
"Still in one piece, if only barely," Tai admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck. Matt's eyes went wide in shock, "Piedmon seems to be playing by different rules these days. The wannabe horror slasher didn't even hesitate; he'd have killed Sora and me if it hadn't been for Phoenixmon showing up when she did."
"Phoenixmon? Matt repeated, eyes darting skyward, just as the form of Phoenixmon evaporated in a flash of golden fire.
"Look out below!" A voice called from above, and Sora gasped as a pink bulb, sprouting a blue flower, plummeted towards her.
"Yokomon!" Pulling herself out of Matt's arms, Sora stumbled forward a few steps just in time to catch her falling partner. Hugging her partner tight to her chest, the redhead buried her face in the top of Yokomon's flower. "Oh, Yokomon, you were amazing!"
"I couldn't have done it without you, Sora," Yokomon's word came through a yawn, the little In-Training Digimon eyes drooping with exhaustion. "Your love for everyone gave me so much strength. It was beautiful…"
As Sora clutched dearly to her snoozing partner, she could feel Matt's eyes on her. Looking over her shoulder, she could see him eying her with what looked like pride and suspicion. His eyes darted to the side, as though chancing a glance at Tai might tell him something.
"I'm just glad you guys are alright," Matt said after what felt like an eternity.
"Amazing," Gabumon said as he waddled over, holding the also napping Koromon, "so Sora and Yokomon can now reach the Mega-level? Just like their counterparts from the other world! Maybe this means the others will be able to Digivolve to the Mega-level, right, Matt?"
"We're due for a break," Matt noted ruefully, his shoulders sagging. "Things are way worse than we thought we could do with some wins. I mean, it wasn't bad enough that Lilithmon brought back the Dark Masters, but she's made them stronger too - because no way in hell is Puppetmon on the same level he was six years ago."
"Piedmon didn't capture Kari, though, so I'd say that's a win for us! Wouldn't you, Tai?" Gabumon noted, obviously doing his best to keep from spiralling, and Sora would've agreed if she was stricken by the fact that in all the chaos that had followed her near death, she'd completely forgotten she'd left Kari hidden behind some rubble.
"Kari!" Tai gasped, his face panic-stricken as he looked ready to run back in the direction of Aomi Station. But to everyone's immense relief, as if summoned from the ether, Kari appeared from nowhere, crashing into her brother and hugging him tightly. The hug only lasted for a second, though, before Kari pulled away and threw herself at Sora. The older girl couldn't really return the gesture whilst cradling Yokomon, but she was just glad to know Kari was still safe and with them.
"Don't either of you ever do that again!" Kari shouted as she pulled away from Sora, her dirt-stained face was streaked with tears, and her eyes were red and puffy. For the umpteenth time that morning, Sora's shoulder shagged with guilt. Poor Kari had cried far too much this morning.
"Sorry," Both Sora and Tai managed at the same time. Kari just threw herself at her brother again, burying her face in his chest.
"Never again," Kari repeated, and Sora found herself smiling as she watched Tai hug his sister tightly. "Don't think this means I forgive you for lying to me," Kari added, voice muffled against Tai's chest.
"That's fair," Tai said softly, just as restored Gatomon appeared at Kari's side as the Kamiya siblings pulled apart. The feline Digimon's once pristine white coat was now covered in a thick layer of dirt, and fur on her front paws looked a little singed.
"This is going to take the world's longest cat bath to fix." The Champion groused, as though being blown up by a giant balloon was merely an annoyance and not something that had almost killed her. "The next time I see that clown, I'm turning him into the world's tallest scratching post."
"That's right!" Kari scooped up her partner, "Sora, if you and Yokomon managed to make it to the Mega-level, I bet you can help us do it too!"
"Then we'll send that Pennywise wannabe back to the sewers where he belongs." Sora nodded, smiling despite herself.
"Not to ruin the moment, but I think that's our cue to leave," Matt said as the sound of emergency sirens grew ever louder. "We should regroup with the others and find out how the other battles went."
Tai nodded his agreement; "We'll message the others, then head for the Observation Deck. It's nearby without being too close, and after everything that's happened this morning, it should be deserted."
No one argued as Tai collected the unconscious Koromon from Gabumon and Matt fired off a text to Izzy and the others. They began the ten or so minute walk to the observation deck at Odaiba Seaside Park in silence, with everyone no doubt deep in thought about the events of the morning, and what was to come.
"Hey, Tai," Matt's voice was lower, obviously doing his best not to be overheard, "is this what Parallelmon showed you, in that vision?"
"No," was the reply, and Sora could only close her eyes, trying not to let the fear creep in, "this was just the warm-up act. But if we don't do something quickly, what Parallelmon showed me is going to come true real fast. It's time we hit back."