Anomalocarimon = Scorpiomon

Chapter 51: Digital World: red Nightfall III

TK swallowed some berries from a bush they had found, hoping they wouldn't come back up soon, and offered some more to Patamon, who was conscious if incredibly dazed. TK didn't feel much better. His head was pounding with a terrible headache and it wasn't helping him organize his thoughts. But as they had looked for water and something edible a lot of things had just fallen into place when TK had thought about it the right way and could look at it without rejecting half out of hand.

All the while, Cody had been patient enough to wait for an explanation.

Again, TK flipped his D-terminal open and stared at an older message. It was from Sora and said that beating digimon to the point of devolving usually seemed to solve the Dark problem.

Cody picked berries for Armadimon, who was too small to reach. A concerned frown was on his face. "Is it really okay if we do it? Duskmon isn't like Tai's Agumon evolving into SkullGraymon because of the Digimon Kaiser. There's no Dark Spiral we can destroy. What are you thinking, TK?"

If the berries had a taste, TK didn't notice it. "I sent the question out and I haven't gotten a reply back yet, but...I'm pretty sure."

"Koichi isn't just darkevolved. He's Darkness." Cody didn't sound convinced. "That's why...we had difficulty with him, right? Koichi is Darkness either way so...can we even say he darkevolved? Isn't that what he would usually do too? How can we even say than its a wrong evolution?"

"I hadn't thought about it like that," TK admitted after a moment. Evolution was caused by light – holy light. Could a naturally dark digimon even evolve with holy light or only through dark evolution? "But it's not like that. Duskmon is...twisted. Horrible. In a way it was worse than any dark digimon we met, but in a way it was different too. It is, I don't know how to explain it, like it was Koichi evolved but just in the wrong direction. Like it was Koichi, but inside out, and then evolved. An evolved inverse."

TK paused and struggled to reach berries hanging higher up before he just gave up and lifted Patamon up so that he could pick the berries himself. "Duskmon said it was Koichi or it had always been Koichi or that Koichi was it. It didn't seem like it was lying...at least not directly." Patamon chirped an 'I'm not hungry anymore' and floated down on his own power. It was really amazing how much food could do for the health of a digimon. "Because it would be crueler to tell the truth. I'm thinking that maybe Duskmon is like a parasite that was inside Koichi the entire time."

Patamon rolled over and fell asleep. Armadimon was still eating. TK picked up his partner and they moved to an other bush as their continued their talk.

"I don't understand." Cody's eyebrows were drawn together as he tried to follow TK's line of thinking, anxious and cautious. "How can that be? Do you mean Duskmon was like the Dark Seed? Something from the outside put on the inside?"

It went unsaid that if that was the cause then they could fight it. Something caused from the outside could be beaten if they forced that foulness to use more energy that it had or that could be generated. The person or digimon suffering from it would be mostly unharmed and could recover. That was what it was like with Dark Spirals or Black Gears and currently too even if there was no object that caused it.

"A dark evolution like all the other digimon everywhere?" Cody questioned.

TK righted hit hat. "Koichi is the representative of Darkness. Do you remember what they said about that when we discussed it a few weeks back?"

Cody nodded. "They said that Darkness wasn't evil but could be corrupted. That it happened so easily because Darkness hid things and because it was passive."

"There is so much Darkness in the digital world right now. So much evil Darkness. And wasn't it in the first place that the others were all targeted because their elements had a deep enough connection that they could be used to control digimon of the same element even when they weren't evil."Passive could be applied to a lot of things. TK thought that in this case it meant something like 'pure darkness' wouldn't throw out the 'evil one'. And if it was like that, it made incredible sense. Everything. "If Koichi had a deep connection to the Darkness in this world... Remember where we found him the first time. And this time we just picked him up from the Dark Ocean."

"If that connection goes both ways..."Cody had a look of understanding on his face that quickly turned into worry. "But what about the others? Takuya and Tommy haven't darkevolved – oh right." Those two weren't Darkness or particulalry affected by it.

"And they aren't that passive - by nature. By the elements which define them, like that Ophanimon said," TK added. "Maybe they can't even get influenced in return."

Cody frowned. "But how can that help us? How can fighting Duskmon make Koichi return when Duskmon is there because of the way our digital world is? Wouldn't it then only devolve when we saved the world?"

That was where TK hesitated. "I'm not sure. That's a question I sent out. But if its like we think, then in a way it is a darkevolution like we know them since its some kind of outside influence. And then we should be able to deal with it like any other Dark evolution. And maybe if Angemon or HolyAngemon can do something – it wouldn't solve the problem long term but Duskmon would be taken care off until it could...recharge?" TK shrugged somewhat helplessly. Developing theories was Yolei, Izzy and Ken's forte. They all had things they were good at.

It was ironic that TK was best (and worst) with things that were connected to Darkness when he hated it so much. But that was also exactly why.

"I see," said Cody thoughtfully, petting Armadimon who had shown no interest whatsoever into the discussion and had had only eyes for food until he was now full too. Armadimon hummed, closing his eyes and was asleep within seconds. "I understand where you are coming from. It could work maybe. But what if it doesn't?"

TK swallowed. "I don't we can't risk it. Duskmon -Velgemon- left here. But only after it killed everything around – us included." Velgemon had definitely tried. There was no way around it and they had only survived because their holy devices had once again showed it could still do things they didn't know about. "We'll have to use our digivives too for the same reason."

They just sat down where they stood. What was Velgemon doing to the rest of the world, now that they couldn't even watch where it was? For the first time TK was glad that pretty much every last digimon had been drafted into the enemy's army. That meant there were hardly any digimon around.

Cody lay down completely, taking out his D-Terminal. The had to take a break. They wouldn't last otherwise. As chosen children it was their responsibility to last.

TK remained sitting, Patamon in his lab and petting the little digimon. A hard fight was awaiting them when they caught up to Velgemon.

Using their digivices if they were tracked might cause them problems and set pursuers on their trail, but that would only be if there were any digimon still alive around – if Velgemon let any live to pursue them and even then they'd have to catch them. When TK would use his digivice, they were going to be in the air...

"Oh." Cody said, the sound in the dead silence loud and surprised. "It's a mail from Gennai. He says they suspect it's fine to use our digivives again because...I don't understand the explanation. Something about a layer or a wave being gone...from some device?" He let it drop.

There weren't many mails from the digital man in the recent inbox. It was because all was channeled through Izzy, the chosen of knowledge discussing things in depth and reason the rest of them wouldn't be able to understand with Gennai.

TK flipped his own open and sent off the theory they were basing their decision off to Izzy and Ken, but not to Takuya and Sora, Davis and Tommy or Kari's group.

He had canceled their SOS shortly after Velgemon had left along with sending a status report. That he hadn't heard back from any of the groups that had the other elemental children with them was frustrating but not surprising. Sora and Takuya were in a state of near constant conflict that they had supposedly well in hand so silence and Davis who was flying high in the air and could fall off if he didn't pay attention might not notice when a mail arrived.

The last mail from Kari and Mimi wrote more worryingly that they had been ambushed by what appeared to be a small army of dark digimon, including one Murmuxmon, and that the Spirit holders with them were tearing into them with apparently a vengeance and that though for now they were still fine, it didn't look good and were asking for advise as well as help.

Expertise from there from those familiar with Duskmon was consequently also not forthcoming. TK hoped they were alright. They were the group with the most targets and Kari had only just escaped...

TK couldn't help them. They couldn't even help themselves. Kari was hurt and Tailmon was hurt even worse and they had just escaped from being captured and abused and TK could do nothing from the other side of the world.

Swallowing, he forced his anxiety away with sheer will and faith. They would be fine. They had to be.

TK glanced at the digital display, checking the time and decided to set an alarm for two hours from now. His body was heavy, his eyes felt like they were made of sand and his head was like a morass every second he didn't force it not to be. Will to resist sleep was difficult to find – only two hours sounded heavenly even if that was two hours of unguarded sleep and two hours of doing nothing. But even the feeling of guilt was not enough to make TK decide to take these two hours.

Tracking Velgemon was ridiculously easy. Pegasusmon only needed to fly high enough over one giant crater and they could see the giant crater on the far away ground.

It was almost as if the dinosaur bird invited anyone to follow it. The thought was nicer than the truth. When Pegasusmon once dipped down to the treeline, they had no only seen the crater but also sliced and broken trees and other traces that couldn't have come from Velgemon or Duskmon.

"How horrible," Cody had said. Every crater symbolized another fight that Velgemon had flown away from. And at least one other digimon that didn't each.

TK didn't count the craters.

They caught up to Velgemon as it circled close to the ground. Now TK saw that the tip of a wing gazed the ground. Where it touched, it left a red line behind and when the circle was complete, red turned black and swallowed everything inside like a black hole.

With its red eyes, it was like a demon.

Pegasusmon shot a Silver Blaze at it, drawing its attention before it could fly off again and then had to quickly set them down and engage it. TK pressed himself to a forest ground, hands over his head as the winds tore over him and Cody as Velgemon brushed over. It's roar felt like it made his ears bleed.

"Be careful, Armadimon," Cody shouted as Velgemon tore into the sky, following Pegasusmon. "Velgemon is one of the strongest digimon we ever fought."

"I got ya," Armadimon chirped, jumping into the sky as though he already had wings before evolution hit. "Armadimon...Armor evolve to...The drill of knowledge, Digmon!"He took off and disappeared beyond the tops of the trees.

Digivice in hand, TK dared getting to his feet and look for a place where they could watch the battle unfold. They may not be directly involved or in the line of fire, but it also wasn't like their digimon partners fought all on their own either.

"Digmon has to distract Velgemon long enough for you and Pegasumon. And they are too high up." Cody bit his lip. By a fallen tree they found a hole large enough in the ceiling of leaves and branches to see Velgemon in the form of a large bird and only small flashes of light signaling their partners' attacks. They didn't seem to have much of an effect.

A golden flash of light was followed by a roar of rage. The dots in the sky grew larger. TK pushed all nerves aside for the sake of focus.

He knew what was happening even before he recognized Pegasusmon racing in a vertical line down right at them, Velgemon hot on his heels. He held his digivice up, his other hand going to the crest around his neck. Hope.

In his hand, the device lit up like the sun. His heart was thundering in his chest. Let it work. Let it be fast enough. Let it work. Patamon can't-

A high screech of pain- definitely not from Patamon or Digmon – stabbed through his ears into TK's head. Next to him Cody screamed in pain, slapping his hands over his ears, but TK wouldn't let go of his digivice. Wings beat, sounding far too large for Angemon's, and made the air vibrate with pressure. TK's teeth rattled even though he had them tightly clenched.

Angemon was breaking his momentum, coming to a stop below the treetops, wings glowing so bright they seemed to be made of pure light. Velgemon was still higher, but dangerous close, light a dark shadow of death. The angel pulled his fist back, it lighting up in gold, yet he hesitated. Angemon watched the corrupt digimon wither in pain. It tilted out of the air, trying with one of it's giant wings to protect it's eye not unlike a human would and crashed into the trees.

TK's digivice was still glowing intensely. Hope. TK hoped. So clearly, so strongly.

Angemon felt powerful and pure. Beating his wings once, he flew over it, observing how had crushed trees below it forming yet another hole in the sea of green and how it awkwardly tried to gather its bearing. Growls and screeches escaped it, seeming far more bestial and unintelligent than the cunning creature Angemon knew it was.

"What's it doin'?" Digmon asked mystified. "What did ya do? Wasn't it supposed ta be stronger than this?"

"I did nothing at all," Angemon returned, his thoughts on the matter as he sensed and observed. "That is what I find concerning." Holy light flowed through him. Darkness yielded before him, be it the so very rare natural stare of it or the commonly misused and corrupted on unless there was nothing for it yield. Darkness only ever did two things: disappear and withdraw, like shadows to a flame, or not, more unmovable than even the strongest fortress.

In part that was why beings of pure Darkness were as strong as they were, like Devimon, like Vamdemon, because there was no place that could be withdrawn to without ceasing to exist altogether. Darkness as Darkness itself as it was embodied in the somewhat human boy Koichi was all of it and when faced with lights such as Angemon's – as TK's – it should not yield an inch.

That Velgemon had reacted to the holy light from TK's digivice was in part reliving, because it was well needed support, but more it was concerning and alarming. It was unnatural.

And when there was something wrong with Darkness as absolute, deep and meditative Koichi's, it spoke of unspeakable danger for the digital world as a whole. Far beyond the danger even they were facing now.

It's very existence...

Darkness spilled out of Velgemon, engulfing it in a cocoon of data streams.

Angemon felt TK's hope grow, large and overwhelming only for it to die when not a human like boy was revealed but instead a human shaped warrior. Dusmon was on all fours, and were it human he would did his fingers into the ground and pant, but it was not.

Angemon's feet touched the ground, positioning himself between where TK was peeking out from behind a thick tree and the darkbeing.

Digmon landed beside him, far less gracefully and far less wary. "Shouldn't we attack it?"

Angemon raised his staff defensively, observing. He didn't not get nervous and anxious like he did as Patamon or as restless as Pegasusmon could be and was far more deliberate in every action and purposeful in every word. There was no reason to speak what was said through actions and...

There was no reason to be nervous and no reason to feel anxious when Angemon was a digimon that knew what he had to do and when he had to do it, fear was something that even he did not escape. The angel was more afraid of this contained from than the creature designed for mass destruction.

Seeping visible dark energy, the reason became clear when Duskmon looked up. At him. Past him. At TK. With pure murder in his eyes.

It was all the warning he got before the digimon shot forward. Angemon only just managed to catch the blades on his staff before it tore through him, past him, into Angemon's parter.

"TK run!" Angemon shouted.

Dusmon growled, pressing down and Angemon was forced back and down, from the sheer power, the weight of the blade, even though he was the taller digimon.

Behind him was noise and Angemon could only hope that TK had heeded his advice. A drill of Digmon's hit Duskmon's head from the side like a nail.

Duskmon didn't even notice it. Its body was shrouded with dark energy that it seemed almost incorporeal. Only it's red eyes stood out. It might voicing something, but Angemon couldn't spare the mind to notice, just blocking it taking all he had.

Light glowed from the side, pushing the veil of Darkness back and just for an instant, Instead of Duskmon Angemon saw Koichi. A Koichi whose expression was like Duskmon's and whose eyes were the color of blood.

Then Ankylomon's spiked tail crushed into its side and it was blown away.

Angemon's body gave in from the sheer relief of pressure and he gasped for breath, resting on a knee and staff. The break was not granted him for long, because Duskmon was not hurt at all. The momentum carried it, but it landed on its feet and when it rushed to attack again with a violent shout, there was no unevenness in its movements. Even with Ankylomon's raw physical power had not managed to put a dent on it armor.

Light embraced Angemon. His body changed, his pool of power grew, instinctive knowledge became refined wisdom and HolyAngemon knew that for all of it, the battle would be long and hard.

As far away and yet as close as they dared, Cody and TK were hiding as much and as little as they dared. Their digivices were glowing brightly with channeled energy, TK's in particular bright enough to light a house. TK couldn't even look at it without getting dark spots to dance over his vision for minutes after and so it was a fortunate thing that they had other ways to know how the battle was going that what their digivices told them.

A tree had been torn out at the roots and seemingly tossed sidewards. With the many other trees around it hadn't been able to land completely on the ground, diagonally propped up by others. It gave Cody and TK cover to lay down behind it and yet be able to watch the battle unfold from below it.

The woods and the distance made it difficult to follow but the D-terminals had many functions, camera and zoom included. It didn't give them the best picture, though it was definitely enough to understand that something was desperately wrong.

"I...," started Cody only to cut off as their makeshift spyglasses showed Anyklomon tossed through the air and trees as though the dinosaur weighted nothing. Cody clutched his digivice in a white knuckled grip and continued only when he saw his partner bounce back through their line of sight. "Is it just me or is...Duskmon not getting harmed at all."

TK's blood felt as cold as ice, a weight in his stomach felt as though it wanted to crawl up his throat. "I think...it's getting stronger."

"What should we do? If we try Shakkoumon at this point...If Ankylomon's power isn't working, then there is nothing Shakkoumon has in close combat."

In TK's hand and tugged under his body so that it didn't blind, his digivice was vibrating harshly and growing hotter. "It reacted to our digivices. Both times." It wasn't a suggestion as much as it was a statement.

In the distance a rumble to trees crashing shook the earth and they could feel it like an earthquake where they were hiding.

Cody was pale and sweat ran down the side of his face, his lips almost white. "It's not save." Though the observation was fairly obvious, given that the two talking were chosen children who were used to and had experience with life risking situations, the meaning became different.

HolyAngemon, one of the most powerful digimon, one of the most powerful light digimon was keeping a digimon that should by all means be at a terrible disadvantage from element alone, yet TK still felt that intent on his skin. As if distance didn't matter, as if it was standing just behind him, just waiting for him to turn around so that it could kill him and watch the horror on his face...

He tried to keep from shaking in terror, tried to contain the fear. There was no way not to notice the way Duskmon wanted to kill TK – not a light digimon, but a weak defenseless human – more than anything else.

Whatever TK's digivice had done to it, it had thrown Duskmon into a blind rage.

In the distance trees were lifting off ground as though gravity had suddenly shifted. TK pushed the panic away, before it could kill his mind. His digivice was so hot, it felt like it was burning his skin. That was HolyAngemon's Heaven's Gate at work. It was a technique that when it succeeded was a kill – complete obliteration, deleting even the bits of data a digimon was made off.

They didn't want to kill Duskmon. If HolyAngemon had been forced to use Heaven's Gate...

TK met Cody's eyes and saw the same realization written there. Breathing out, TK forced his nerves to steady as he got to his feet. He would love telling Cody to stay behind, but Cody wouldn't listen and TK wasn't sure he had the courage to go alone. If Davis were here...

They made their way towards the fight cautiously, ducking under huge broken branches, avoiding fallen trees and trying to keep some cover the whole time. The closer they got, the louder the battle was raging. TK was not sure he had ever been involved in a fight where he could feel the impact of blade on blade like a shockwave though the air.

In front of them, the treeline broke and despite HolyAngemon's presence, Darkness was so thick in the air that it seemed to darken the world. TK had only seen something like this with BelialVamdemon before.

His hands were shaking. If Duskmon saw him before...

Duskmon was somehow even more horribly skilled than it had been before. HolyAngemon was a skilled swordsman himself, but all the angel could do was block and block and block. He was pushed back and pushed around and kicked around. Out of the former site of Velgemon's crash, they had crated an entire field.

In HolyAngemon's shield were cracks.

Ankylomon was stalking around the fighters, trying to get a hit in but unable to and he looked bruised and shaken. Spikes were missing from his shell and he was limping. It was as if Ankylomon was not there at all. Cody released a shaky breath.

Duskmon's back was turned to them and TK stepped forward. If he made noise, if Duskmon turned, if HolyAngemon was distracted...but if this worked, then they had a chance. If their digivices could harm that Darkness...

TK crept forward. They made it a quarter of the way, then half, then three quarters. At that point, Ankylomon noticed and bounced over to defend, not even questioning what they were doing. Cody looked caught between relief and as much fear as TK was feeling.

In that moment, for better of worse, Cody's digivice burst into light.

"Ankylomon...evolution to...Anomalocarimon!"

Duskmon noticed.

It kicked into HolyAngemon's shield, the crack audible and whirled around, not even needing a second before it was upon Anomalocarimon. Anomalocarimon, a large scorpion like digimon that TK had vague memories of facing as an enemy once, with blades as tall as TK at every movable limb and a few unmovable parts, had no chance and no choice but to defend.

For all its size, for all its speed with tail and claws, Duskmon was just better. Within seconds Anomalocarimon gathered deep grouches over his shell and blood splattered.

For better or worse, that brought Duskmon close. For better or worse, Duskmon caught sight of TK, the moment he brought up his digivice. The world slowed down.

Duskmon shot at him, evil and terrifying and madness, all in one. It shouted or maybe screamed.

TK's digivice glowed.

Duskmon's sidled blades crossshlashed at his neck, without slowing down. Without mercy. Without being stopped.

By the time TK realized he was still alive, that his head was still attached, Duskmon was gone from in front of him and HolyAngemon – no Angemon now – had thrown himself at the darkness incarnate and was loosing, badly. His wings were bloody and twisted, his staff was gone he was holding off Duskmon from scissoring his head off only because he had caught the limbs that were Duskmon's substitute.

The moment Angemon's lost this match of power – and it was coming, TK could tell – his neck would be cut.

TK's world stuttered to a halt.

And he saw Devimon laughing and Angemon's smile in face of the inevitable.

Darkness seemed to swallow him. Angemon. Angemon.

Not Angemon.

Not again.

Darkness clawed at the edge of his vision, erasing everything else. Cody and Anomalocarimon. The sky and the earth. Kari on the other side of the world and his brother so far away he might as well be. Koichi too, and the reason.

Not Angemon.

Everything but Angemon.

Somewhere, some deep part of his mind noticed the light from his hand dimming and then falling completely.

Not Angemon.

Not -

"TK!"

Angemon.

Angemon was smiling at him. Like he did back then. Devimon was laughing, deep and throaty and oh so amused.

"It's alright," Angemon was saying, smiling and he could hardly turn his head enough to see TK. "It's alright, TK."

No. It was not.

It was never.

"TK. I'm still here." Blades were so close TK could the red lines cut into Angemon's white skin. Angemon was speaking so softly, so kindly, so determinedly, just like -"TK. Remember what we are fighting for.

"TK, what do you hope for?"

What did –

Angemon.

TK only hoped -

White exploded, warm and golden. It banished the Darkness and bathed the world in light.

When it receded Darkness swarmed back, uncontrolled and oppressive. Angemon was gone and in his place was -

- an angel.

Clad in silver and blue armor, a golden cross on the blue helmet covering the face, and ten wings of golden light -

"Seraphimon!"

TK's legs gave out from under him and he fell, exhausted and terrified and relieved and so, so hopeful.

He was still there and he was still alive, and he was evolved. Cody was tugging at him, wanting to pull him away. TK didn't remember him getting there and his body didn't feel like his own. He couldn't move even if he wanted to, his eyes fixed on Seraphimon engaging Duskmon.

And Duskmon...Duskmon was pressed. It's Darkness was as powerful as ever, maybe even more so and even more enraged, but it had still met a match.

Then it evolved.

Velgemon took to the skies and Seraphimon followed.

Anomalocarimon clicked with his fangs and claws restlessly and somewhat lost. "What should I do, Cody? I can't fly." Cody chocked on a laugh that might be a sob.

This is the chapter for September. I hope you like it.

Velgemon is a really difficult digimon to fight, only half of that because it can fly. It has got that seriously nasty Zone Eater attack and is just plain powerful. The Darkness Spirits got a weakness, though, and TK brushed over it on sheer accident. Blinding it with a digivice...that was a flashback and as such a seriously powerful psychological attack.

About Ankylomon's evolution. Given that possible choice of digimon Ankylomon could evolve in, I had either Anomalocarimon or some kind of pig/boar creature that was almost as round as a ball. Not very good choices admittedly, but there wasn't very much to do about it.

On to different matter. I've got problems in Real Life right now that may or may not force me to put this on hiatus. Probably not. But maybe.

Please leave an opinion on your way out.

TBC.