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Digimon: Bad Kitty


Devidramon
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This takes place between 01 and 02, right after they gained the ability to go back and forth at will. But, no D3s means they're at the mercy of gates that open and shut pretty much at random a la the 02 premiere. Two breaks with canon to remember: Miko's female, and there's no Primary Village. (I don't know if I'm going to kill anybody off just yet, but in my little corner of the Digiworld, "dead" means "dead," not "perfectly fine 'n' dandy in five seconds." If you see my name on most anything, forget the Primary Village.)


[u]Ch. 1: Transformation[/u]

"How can you watch this stuff, Gatomon?" Kari was saying as she walked into the living room. She sat down on the couch next to her partner, who was engrossed in Power Rangers Turbo. Tommy the Red Ranger and Justin the Blue Ranger were onscreen now, while a plastic periscope popped up out of a bucket of water to spy on them, and the scene changed to the Pirate Queen Divatox, who began laughing evilly at whatever her latest scheme was.

"Come on, this is good stuff."

"Divatox is going to send those fish guys [i]again,[/i] and they'll get their butts kicked [i]again,[/i] and then it's detonator time [i]again[/i]..."

"There's a lot more to it than that," Gatomon said. "Besides, [i]he's[/i] cute," she said, pointing at the screen.

"Tommy?" Kari said. "I didn't think you?d ever go for a human, but..."

"Not him... Justin," Gatomon sighed dreamily.

"Oookay..." Kari said.*

Onscreen, the Piranhatrons had arrived, and the Rangers were battling them to the tune of the Piranhatron theme song. [i]"...They're chickens, they're weaklings, they smell bad (Piranhatrons!)...?[/i] Gatomon was entranced.

Kari rolled her eyes and got up from the couch to go for some pop, or 'soda,' as Matt insisted on calling it.

"[i]Mee-YOW![/I]"

"Whoa!" Kari shouted as she nearly stepped on Miko. "Watch out, Miko! I'd hate for you to lose your tail." She reached down to scratch the cat's ears and then stood back up. Miko tried to rub against Kari's leg, but Kari was on the move again. After picking up two cans of soda from the refrigerator, she walked past her, almost kicking her again but not noticing this time. She went back to the couch and sat down next to Gatomon, and they watched as Divatox tossed a Ranger back into the thick of a Piranhatron onslaught.

*****

It wasn't fair.

Miko watched Kari with... [i]her.[/i] At first, Kari had been all hers. There was always a warm lap to jump into, and Kari always knew where that spot behind her ears was. And then, [i]she[/i] came along. Now Kari had no time for her, and spent every available moment with Gatomon. Gone were the days of table scraps, and Kari sneaking her along to school in her backpack, and sitting on top of Kari's head. She wished she'd never found that stupid gadget that had led Kari to ...she who must not be named.

"Meow," Miko said with disgust, and walked away. [i]Gatomon, enjoy this while it lasts. But Hikari Kamiya is [u]mine[/u].[/i]

Miko walked through the kitchen, and to the stairs, racing up to Kari's room. A room that now smelled like Gatomon. [i]"Meow,"[/i] Miko growled under her breath. [i]I swear...[/i]

Miko turned and walked out of the room, unable to bear being around [i]her[/i] scent. She started to run down the stairs again, but between her and the stairway was a strange fog. Before she could stop, she ran into it.

Once inside, she saw a circle of bats that served as a window to... somewhere. Within it stood what looked like a tall man in a strange costume.

[i]Do you want her back?[/i] asked the man.

"Meow?" she said, not comprehending at first.

[i]Do you want what is yours?[/i]

"Meow," she answered.

[i]I can give it to you. I can give you the power to defeat your rival. All I ask is that you do something for me in return.[/i]

"Meow?"

[i]Destroy the Digidestined,[/i] he answered.

Miko wasn't sure if she wanted to destroy anything, other than Gatomon. "Meow?" she said, unsure.

The fog around her began to change, and she was in the living room. Kari and Gatomon were laughing together over what they were watching. Miko meowed loudly, but Kari and Gatomon couldn't hear... or didn't care.

The voice was still with Miko. [i]When was the last time you sat in her lap? When was the last time she sat with you, talked with you, and gave you kitty treats? I assure you, Kari has plenty of time for... her.[/i]

That did it. Miko leapt up, a glare in her eyes. "[i]Meow,[/i]" she growled in fury.

[i]So let it be programmed, so let it be done. SaberNekomon, arise![/i] The figure waved his arms, and a torrent of bats surged from the portal and wrapped around Miko, faster than she could meow. And then, they evaporated into a mist that obscured her vision. Eventually, the mist faded, to reveal that she was once again at the top of the stairway, with no fog, bats, or strange men. But now, she realized that the ground was much farther away now, and she was standing on only two legs. She raised her front paws in front of her, to find that they had changed. She now had five long fingers on each hand, like Kari's, only she still had her claws, while Kari did not. She walked back into the bathroom to find the strange wall where that other cat was always there, doing everything she did. Perhaps it had changed with her?

She saw herself, and gasped. She was now a tall human girl with a luxurious mane of brown hair with golden streaks. She wore a tight blouse and a short skirt, both with a tiger-stripe pattern. Her skin was a lovely tan color. Her ears were still pointed and atop her head, and she still sported a long tail that swished behind her when she walked. Her eyes had also remained unchanged. "Me-[i]ow!"[/i] she said in appreciation as she spun around. Her voice was that of a human.

But the biggest change was the power that she felt flowing through her. "Tigris Wave!" she shouted, slashing with her claws. An arc of energy left her hand, powering straight through three walls and out of the house, leaving holes in the shape of a claw slash. SaberNekomon laughed gleefully. "Gatomon, your hours are numbered!"

She willed herself to be elsewhere, and vanished.

-----
*Note to non-PR fans: Justin, the blue Turbo ranger, was around twelve years old.
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[color=darkblue][size=1]Wow, I've seen some weird stuff, but I've never seen a fanfic with Miko as the villain. This is a really well written introduction, you have a talent for this (I love Tamers v2.0, even though everyone thinks I am against it for some reason). This is very creative, and I am actually hoping that Miko turns out to be victorious in the end! ^_^"

-Shy[/color][/size]
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Actually, I can't claim it totally: If not for Shaun31us' post in the "things the Digimon would never say" post, this story would probably never have been.

Halfway down the page: [url]http://209.123.85.4/~otakub35/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11603&perpage=20&pagenumber=8[/url]

In fact, looking over it again, I just realized how much of the first chapter mirrors that. I hadn't intended it to be [i]that[/i] much of a ripoff. But, the second chapter's (hopefully) better.

As for V2, I know you didn't have a problem with it, it's more that it, while people talked of the problems it [i]might[/i] cause, it [i]hadn't[/i] caused any, but leaving well enough alone is clearly beyond our illustrious staff. :p I know you didn't have a problem with the story itself.

Man, V2 was fun. My favorite part was Ginny's thing with Makuramon and Monmon's tribe. That was great. My role was to keep the characters in as much trouble as possible, it seemed. (Which I greatly enjoy doing.) If the characters knew about the writers, they'd think I was the devil. One group gets stuck with a bunch of demon Digimon, Ryo gets pitched into a parallel universe, Masahiko gets abused by the Metal Empire and how he and the Gatos are facing down a ton of Giromon. Yes, being evil is fun.

Say why don't you add something a part? I know it can't go on forever, and already, it's the longest story of its kind that I've seen, but still, I'd like to see you add something, like if you really get bored one day. Quite a few plotlines to be dealt with. There's only [counts on his fingers] fifty bazillion superpowerful villains roaming around out there. :smirk:

Come on, try it.
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[color=darkblue][size=1]I haven't read all of Tamers v2.0 yet, I tried printing out a copy in August (some light summer reading) but by the time I caught with that you people added another 40 posts! Plus, my beloved cable internet is down. I'll see what I can do though, maybe I'll be able to catch up with the topic over the weekend.

-Shy[/color][/size]
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AN: I've never been to Odaiba, and all I know of Japan comes from World Book Encyclopedia and TV shows that originate in Japan. (Primarily Digimon and the Japanese footage used in Power Rangers.) So, if Odaiba's not really like this at 5 PM, chalk it up to AU-ness or something.

Speaking of PR, if anybody knows why the Galaxy Rangers always run in that stupid pose, I?ve gotta know.

[u]Ch 2: Exploration[/u]

SaberNekomon wandered the streets of Odaiba. This was nothing like the world she had known. Before, her entire universe had been the Kamiyas' apartment and the surrounding areas, and she'd rarely seen the outside world. But once she'd been transformed, she'd had an epiphany. It had dawned on her that there was more to the world than that. She'd seen a little of it on occasion, but hadn't had the mind to comprehend it. Now, she had decided to see the outside world as the humans experienced it.

She walked on two legs and felt the breeze through her hair, watched as drivers cursed at each other as they sped through the city at breakneck pace. People came in and out of buildings, all in a hurry to go somewhere and do something, running into each other, muttering apologies or insults as they disentangled and scurried on their way. [i]They should learn to sit back, relax, go with the flow,[/i] SaberNekomon decided. [i]I never imagined a world like this.[/i]

She also noticed that she was getting more attention. When she had been Miko, people would not have given her a second glance, if even a first. She was just "The Kamiyas' cat." Now, they saw her as being worth as much as any other human. Which didn't appear to be much when they were in?mouse-scurry mode' like this. But instead of passing her by without even knowing, they actually paused to let her past them, or said 'excuse me' or 'watch it, lady' when she almost ran into them. Cool! And it was a rare male eye that didn?t turn her way for at least a second or two.

The humans were piling into their cars, which SaberNekomon now saw as more than just something to be avoided when it speeds down the street. She still felt a little trepidation at seeing this many of them moving at once. [i]You're stronger than they are, Miko,[/i] she reminded herself.

She noted the changes to herself, as well. The more she walked, the more she noticed. She was thinking in terms that she'd never imagined before her transformation. She knew the [i]concept[/i] of a car, had a mental image of the object, but now, that image was connected with the word [i]car.[/i] All objects and concepts were now attached to such words in her mind, and she knew she'd have no trouble talking to the humans.

She felt a tug on her tail, and turned to see a small girl about Kari's age, with large eyeglasses and hair that was strangely purple. The girl and her father had come from a store on a corner.

"Wow, that's a great costume!" the girl said. "It looks real!"

"Don't bother the lady," the girl's father said, pulling her hand away from SaberNekomon's tail. "I'm sure she's in a hurry."

"Yeah, but look, the ears even move!" the girl said, pointing, as her father dragged her away. She was jumping up and down now. "Can you buy me one, please, Daddy, please! I'll keep my room clean, I won't take things apart anymore, [i]please!"[/i]

A mildly amused SaberNekomon turned her attention to the store the two had come from, and walked inside.

*****

"So, Ayaka, what are you doing Friday night?" Taichi Kamiya asked a short, redheaded girl with pigtails as they both approached the checkout counter.

"With you?" Ayaka sniffed rudely. "Nothing." She stalked past Tai and went to the counter to pay for her items.

"Smooth as always, Tai," Yamato Ishida laughed as Tai walked back to the fountain drinks. "Even TK can do better than that."

"Oh, yeah? I'd like to see you try, blondie."

"Watch and learn," Matt said slyly. He put on his winning smile and walked up to Ayaka. Tai couldn't hear what Matt was saying, but he did hear the slap even at that distance. Tai cracked up as a defeated Matt walked away from the checkout line.

"Yeah, go ahead, laugh it up," Matt groused.

"I intend to."

"We'd better get back in a hurry, though. I don't think Agumon and Gabumon will wait out back forever."

"Oh, they won't mind," Tai said. "After saving the world a few times, they're probably signing autographs or something."

Soon, in stepped a woman with a body worthy of any model. She stood a good deal taller than Tai and Matt, and seemed to be on her way to or from a costume party, with cat ears, a tail, and a rather revealing tiger-striped outfit.

"Whoa," Tai and Matt said together, their mouths nearly hanging open.

The woman looked at Tai thoughtfully, smiled about something only she knew, and then started looking around the store. Matt was staring at Tai in disbelief.

"What can I say?" Tai laughed. "When you got it, you got it."

After the woman had taken up an armload of seemingly random items, including several packages of cat treats and a few cans of Fancy Feast, she walked up to the checkout counter. The boys' eyes were glued to her the entire time. Even the two policemen who were guarding the store stole the occasional glance at her.

[i]If only you knew,[/i] the woman across the room thought, looking at Tai once more and smiling, causing her former owner to turn pink. [i]If only you knew.[/i] She turned back to the counter.

The bored-looking woman behind the counter rang up the items, and told her the price. SaberNekomon suddenly realized that she had no money, and cursed herself for forgetting that she'd need it. [i]Oh, well, it's not like they can stop me. It might be fun to see what they do.[/i]

SaberNekomon turned to run back out of the store, slowly so the humans might think they had a chance of catching her. But there was no need for pursuit: The two policemen stepped in front if her. "I'm afraid you can't do that, ma'am," said one.

SaberNekomon giggled. This would be so much [i]fun![/i] She dropped the armful of items and glared at the officers, pouting. As one policeman approached, SaberNekomon allowed her claws to slide out. With a slash that was almost too fast to see, she tore claw marks in the officer's shirt, but didn't touch the officer himself. An effortless shove sent the shocked man toppling into the stand of greeting cards. The other took out his club, and SaberNekomon split it in half with her claws even as she kicked out, sending this officer flying into a display. SaberNekomon flipped, gently and effortlessly landing atop a shelf, and posed as if for an audience. "I'm afraid I can," she said. Another flip placed her in front of the counter, where she reached for the cash register so as to take care of the money situation. The cashier wasn't fast enough in getting away from it, so SaberNekomon tossed her to the floor.

"That's no costume. I'll get Agumon and Gabumon," Tai said to Matt. "Stay here and... I don't know, something. But we can't let her get away without knowing how she got to the real world and what she's doing here."

"Hey, wait..." Matt said as Tai ran out through the front door. "Wonderful."

*****

SaberNekomon finished helping herself to the money in the cash register, stopped to pick up the Fancy Feast but left most of the items behind. [i]Ah, I don't need that stuff.[/i] A blonde-haired boy started to say something to her, but thought better of it. She shoved him aside for good measure, and made her exit.

There, she saw several police cars collected in front of the store. [i]Guess someone called them when I wasn't looking. I can't be this sloppy against the Digidestined,[/i] she mused. She noted that a news helicopter had arrived. Hopefully, the Digidestined would see the broadcast and come a-running. Where were they, anyway? A real opponent would be far more entertaining.

Three officers came towards her, and she spent exactly four seconds tossing them back to the line of cars. [i]These humans are so weak,[/i] SaberNekomon thought. This was going to get rather dull rather quickly. "Tigris Wave!" she shouted, sending an arc of energy their way. The car it struck exploded in flame, and the policemen standing around it ran to avoid the flying debris. SaberNekomon briefly wondered if that had been one of the empty cars or if someone had been in it. She hadn't thought to check beforehand. [i]Oh, well,[/i] she thought, mentally shrugging as she flipped onto the hood of one of the cars, reached inside, and tossed the driver out, all before the other policemen even had their guns drawn. [i]Let's see what one of these can do.[/i] She slipped inside, and tried to see if her newfound awareness included how to operate the vehicle.

She started to drive forward, but an orange, clawed foot struck the ground in front of her. "You! Pull over!" came a growling voice.

SaberNekomon looked out the window to see a dinosaur in front of her and a giant wolf behind her. The Digidestined had finally seen fit to make an appearance. [i]Hee hee! Maybe this'll be fun after all![/i] She shoved the car door off of its hinges and stepped out.

"Who are you?" the wolf asked. "Why are you here?"

SaberNekomon shrugged. "You know, see the sights, have some fun, trash the Digidestined, take my revenge, that sorta thing. You can call me SaberNekomon!" She giggled as she backflipped to land next to Greymon. Springing into the air faster than the dinosaur Digimon could react, she jumped as high as his chest and kicked him over, hard.

"Howling Blaster!" Garurumon shouted, sending a carefully-aimed blast SaberNekomon's way.

SaberNekomon leapt clear over the blast, and landed atop the car of a terrified policeman. "Tigris Wave!" The energy arc plowed through the air and into Garurumon, sending him flying. Greymon bounded forward.

"So, you wanna play too?" SaberNekomon laughed. "This is great!" She jumped from the roof of the car and rolled forward, winding up beneath Greymon. A sweeping kick put him on his back, and with an easy hop, she landed on his head. Greymon took a swing, only to hit himself in the face when SaberNekomon hopped away. "I thought the infamous Digidestined were supposed to be tough. Come on already!" She was still all smiles, and her amusement wasn't the usual evil laughter and taunting, it was genuine.

Now that SaberNekomon was standing alone, the police had a clear shot. They crouched behind their cars took aim, and opened fire. Most of the bullets struck the unimpressed SaberNekomon, who turned around, looking mildly annoyed. "Tigris Wave," she said, casually tossing the arc at them. It expanded to strike across the hoods of the cars, tearing them apart. The police leapt backward, and she took aim for the officers themselves, but Greymon launched a Nova Blast from behind. SaberNekomon heard it coming, flipped over it, and Tigris Waved it out of existence even as she spun through the air. She touched down behind Greymon and kicked him forward onto his belly. Garurumon pounced, but SaberNekomon jumped straight up, evading his claws and putting herself in perfect jaw-kicking position. Her kick caused Garurumon to flip completely over. SaberNekomon giggled with childlike glee at the sight. The police officers were completely forgotten, and had decided that that was for the best. They held their fire and watched from the safest distance they could maintain without feeling like cowards.

Garurumon and Greymon attacked together, charging at SaberNekomon. She waited as two sets of huge claws descended on her, and then leapt forward, catching Greymon's leg and pulling him into Garurumon, causing them to go down in a heap. "Get up already," she said impatiently. "Come on!"

Greymon and Garurumon stood to their feet as their foe waited, impatiently tapping her foot.

"Howling Blaster!" Garurumon yelled as he charged her. SaberNekomon leapt over it and launched at him, claws outstretched...

...and Greymon deftly reached out to grab her by the tail and slam her to the ground, facefirst, and then place his foot on her back. "Now, you're going to tell us who sent you, and what's going on."

"Or you'll make quite a good snack!" Garurumon threatened.

"Hey, that was a pretty good move," SaberNekomon said. "You [i]have[/i] been doing this a while. Watch this! Tigris Wave!" she shouted, jabbing her hands into the ground. There was an explosion, and Greymon was thrown off balance. SaberNekomon winced. [i]Okay, [u]that[/u] hurt,[/i] she thought, having taken most of the force herself. But she wasn't going to let her opponents know it. She leapt up to push Greymon's foot, knocking him over for the third time in as many minutes. She sidestepped the Howling Blaster she knew was coming, flipped, and flipped onto Garurumon's back. "You know, you're kinda cute. I almost hate to have to do this. But you two aren't that much fun anyway. May as well get it over with." Garurumon was thrashing to try to dislodge SaberNekomon, but she wouldn't budge. Greymon reached down to try to pull her off. "Tigris Wave!" she shouted, taking one hand off of Garurumon to slash the air in Greymon's direction. The energy arc exploded against him, causing him to drop like a puppet whose strings were cut. He breathed raggedly as he began to flicker, and finally devolved into Agumon, whom Tai ran to scoop up.

"Later, gator. And now..." She poised a claw over the back of Garurumon's neck. "Tigris..."

"No!" Matt screamed.

"Celestial Arrow!" The arrow sent SaberNekomon flying off of Garurumon. She rolled end over end before coming to a stop.

"Okay, [i]that[/i] was mean," SaberNekomon muttered, standing to her feet to look at her newest adversary. She saw the angel Digimon, and with her, Kari, who ran to stand next to Tai and Matt.

SaberNekomon laughed with anticipation. Now Kari would get to see her in action. But then, she noticed something about the angel that was approaching her, and her jovial mood vanished in an instant.

Angewomon's appearance may have been unfamiliar, but scents didn't lie. It was... [i]her.

"YOU!"[/i] she hissed, leaping at Angewomon, claws first.
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[i]?You!?[/i] SaberNekomon flew at Angewomon, claws poised to tear her nemesis? throat out.

Angewomon swiveled in midair, allowing SaberNekomon to go past. ?Me. And what did I ever do to you??

SaberNekomon pushed off from the ground to fling herself back into the air at Angewomon. ?Kill... you...? she seethed, her voice an inhuman growl. Angewomon tried to use the same maneuver to dodge her again, but SaberNekomon lashed out with her tail as she was passing by, catching onto Angewomon?s leg. A good tug served to throw Angewomon off balance and pull SaberNekomon upwards, as well as turning her to face Angewomon. In a blind rage, she slashed hard and deep with her claws, tearing four bleeding gashes. Angewomon winced in pain as she reached for an arrow, but SaberNekomon didn?t give her the time. ?Tigris Wave!? she shouted, slashing with her other hand. The whole exchange happened in under two seconds. Angewomon took the full force of the assault, and plummeted to the ground in a tailspin. SaberNekomon was already dropping toward her, having made sure to not release her tail-hold until she was moving in the right direction.

?Heaven?s Charm!? Angewomon shouted, spreading her arms. SaberNekomon flew straight into the energy wave, and screamed as she was thrown back into the air. She hit the ground none too gracefully several yards away, and forced herself to her feet.

And instantly charged for Angewomon again.

*****

Escher Castle was a labyrinthine maze where spatial laws were vastly different than in the outside world. There were several who had become lost in it, and had spent years wandering its halls. Few found their way out. Most found death. Others still wandered, and would likely spend the remainder of their lives doing so. But none who came ever found what they had been seeking when they had entered.

The most inaccessible room in the castle was rather bare. Its design was simple, four ninety-degree angles. There were no furnishings, and just enough torches that one would not be completely blind. At the far end was a pedestal with a small, black artifact on a stand with strange writing in a circle around the artifact. The object itself looked like two dragon skulls mounted on a red sphere. The sphere was surrounded by a black framework with an eye on either side as well as up front.

Soon, the lord of the castle entered. For once, he was alone. Myotismon was usually surrounded by whatever minions he had not been displeased with or bored enough to kill as yet. But for this meeting, he brought no one with him.

Placing his hand atop the artifact, he stared into its center eye. The eyes on the sides turned to look at him, and the writing glowed. Suddenly, the room around him changed. He was standing in a great temple, at the foot of a stairway. At the top of the stairway, far above, was a throne. On the throne, where the light was bright enough to see him but dim enough that no one could make out his features, sat a being. He remained silent, waiting for Myotismon to speak.

Myotismon confidently looked up at the enthroned. ?Now do you see?? he gloated. ?She?s winning. Are you satisfied now, oh Ancient One?? he said, saying the creature?s title mockingly.

?Perhaps,? said the Ancient One. ?Your little experiment is working better than I had expected, it is true. But you are far from victory.?

?You see how she performs. Even an Ultimate cannot stand against her. The attack that easily dispatched Lady Devimon could not significantly harm SaberNekomon.?

?Now that she faces Angewomon, how do you know she will not simply kill her and to the Dark Area with our war against the Digidestined??

?A rather interesting aspect of the program applied to her.?

?You know that such controls, once discovered, are easily broken.?

?Control? Give me some credit, I have much more imagination than that.?

?Then what...??

?Just watch. This should impress even you, ?oh Ancient One.??

?Very well. But be warned, Myotismon: I am no more forgiving to those who fail me than you are to those who fail you. See that it succeeds.?

Myotismon nodded. ?It shall. All will be ready when the time comes for me to use my gate to allow you into this world once more.? He chose his words so as to remind the Ancient One who was truly at whose mercy.

The Ancient One nodded, as Myotismon had just done. ?Very well. I am sure you will show yourself worthy of the power and life force that I provide you with.? The Ancient One left Myotismon with a similar warning, the warning that he could take back the life he had given him whenever he chose.

Myotismon bowed politely, and touched the artifact again. A bright light flooded from it, and he felt a sharp stinging sensation in his hand, which wasn?t normal. Another not-so-subtle warning from the one who would be his master. The light faded, and he was in Escher Castle once more.

Myotismon made a fist. ?Yes, I shall [i]show[/i] you all right, ?oh Ancient One,?? he growled to himself, walking away.

*****

[i]Just how strong is she?[/i] Garurumon thought as she watched SaberNekomon charge at Angewomon. She had apparently been playing with him and Greymon, holding back so as to prolong her own amusement. It was times like this that he missed Izzy and his Digimon Analyzer. If they?d known the extent of her power, they?d know how to fight her. [i]I?m going to regret this.[/i] ?Garurumon digivolve to... WereGarurumon!?

WereGarurumon hopped in front of SaberNekomon. ?Garuru Kick!? he shouted, bringing down a foot four times larger than SaberNekomon, energy glowing on his claws.

?Out of my way!? SaberNekomon shouted, flipping sideways to stand next to the foot that was still on the ground. A solid kick knocked it out of place, causing WereGarurumon to fall backwards. The energized foot slammed the ground, causing WereGarurumon to take most of the Garuru Kick?s force. SaberNekomon winced, knowing what that felt like. Just to make sure he got the message, she used his head as a springboard to launch herself at Angewomon again. ?Don?t worry, I?ll play with you soon enough,? she assured WereGarurumon as she turned her attention back to her nemesis.

She was greeted with a rude reminder of the need to keep her mouth shut during battle. A thick cable wrapped around her waist, and the steel hand at its end grabbed her. ?Hey!? she shouted indignantly.

MetalGreymon, who had digivolved again against his and Tai's better judgment, stamped over, reeling in his bionic arm as he approached. ?You people never learn, do you? Who are you working for? What do you have against Angewomon??

?You?d think they?d know better than to send one Digimon alone,? Angewomon said. ?We?d better keep an eye out.?

?Right,? Tai agreed from the ground. ?I?ll see if I can call the others.? Tai walked back into the now-deserted corner store.

MetalGreymon, WereGarurumon, and Angewomon stood over SaberNekomon. ?So, what do we do with her?? WereGarurumon said.

?Begging for mercy sounds good,? SaberNekomon said. ?For you, anyway,? she told MetalGreymon. ?You, however,? she said to WereGarurumon, winking, ?I?m sure I could think of something for...?

?Are you insane?!? WereGarurumon demanded. ?This isn?t some kind of game!?

?Of course it is,? SaberNekomon laughed. ?You guys take it all too seriously. And those humans of yours are even worse.?

?What do you want with me?? Angewomon said. ?I?ve never seen you before in my life. Did I do something to you in a previous evolution or something??

SaberNekomon snarled, her ?game? philosophy gone once more in the face of Angewomon. She said something inaudiable under her breath as she struggled to get her hands free, in hopes of getting them around Angewomon?s throat. ?...kill you...? she growled. ?Kill you and kill you and kill you [i]kill you kill you...[/i]? she repeated under her breath, her eyes wide and drool falling from her lips. Her normally-beautiful face was a mask of pure rage. She rambled and thrashed wildly for a few more seconds until an epiphany came to her: this wasn?t working. As much as she hated to, she stopped to think.

Step one, of course, was to get out of MetalGreymon?s grip. After that, she had opponents to nullify. MetalGreymon would try to recapture her, so she had to make him the first target. Angewomon would... she fought down the surge of anger that the name brought... Angewomon would be the next to attack, from the air, as soon as she was far enough away from MetalGreymon for Angewomon to attack without fear of hitting him. Dodge that attack but strike at WereGarurumon, who?s probably going to try the same bogus move again. SaberNekomon giggled, both with anticipation and because she was glad to be so much smarter than they were.

SaberNekomon forced herself to relax. She shut out the yapping humans and Digimon, who were still firing questions at her and speculations at each other, and put [i]her[/i] out of her mind. She realized she?d never actually concentrated before, and figured it might be interesting. [i]Come on, no different than squeezing under the bedroom door...[/i] She felt for where MetalGreymon?s grip was weakest, and began to maneuver herself free. Slowly, so MetalGreymon wouldn?t know at first, but she had to be ready to spring the moment he realized it so that he wouldn?t have time to tighten his grip. Slowly... slo-o-owly... now!

She twisted her way free of the cable, and slipped out of the claw like soap squeezed through a wet fist. She landed atop the claw, but not to stay. ?Tigris Wave!? she aimed for the armored Ultimate?s very non-armored jaw, provoking a grunt of pain, even as she flipped away.

?Mega Claw!? MetalGreymon launched his steel hand.

?Make it easy for me, why doncha?? SaberNekomon laughed as she grabbed the cable the hand was attached to. ?For a second, I thought I might have to work for it!? She yanked the cable as hard as she could as she dropped to the ground, and flipped the titanic cyborg Digimon into the air. She made a big show of getting out of the way as MetalGreymon landed on his head. Angewomon zoomed at her, but she simply flipped over. ?Don?t worry, you?ll get yours soon enough.? She?d learned her lesson about carelessness. She?d finish Angewomon once her little helpers were out of the way.

?Wolf Claw!? WereGarurumon shouted, slashing at her. The claw left an energy trail behind it.

[i]Well, it?s [u]almost[/u] the same attack,[/i] she thought, hating to admit having been slightly off in her predictions. She rolled under the attack and ran between WereGarurumon?s legs. When the wolf Digimon had halfway turned towards her again, she slashed deeply into his ankle and gave it a good kick, causing him to yelp and land rather ungracefully on his back. She saw MetalGreymon?s shadow fall, and launched herself into the air, feetfirst, and drove her right heel into the same spot on his jaw that she?d Tigris Waved before. SaberNekomon turned in midair to land on her feet even as the dinosaur toppled onto WereGarurumon. She leapt into the air again. ?Now, say adios.? Her claws began to glow as she aimed for MetalGreymon?s throat, but a strong pair of arms grabbed her. ?From behind,? she growled at Angewomon. ?Big surprise.? She kicked her legs upward, flipping to land on top of Angewomon. Taking her by the throat, she steered her to the ground headfirst. Angewomon landed with a satisfying thud, and SaberNekomon planted her foot in Angewomon?s back. ?Game over,? she announced.

?Wolf Claw!? WereGarurumon shouted, knocking SaberNekomon off of Angewomon. With his other hand, he pulled Angewomon out of MetalGreymon?s line of fire and leapt away.

?Giga Blaster!? MetalGreymon unleashed the two gigantic missiles at the relatively tiny SaberNekmon.

?Tigris Wave!? SaberNekomon slashed with both claws, sending twin energy arcs which detonated the missiles. MetalGreymon looked through the smoke to see... no one. After exactly three seconds of wondering just where his foe was, he felt a sledgehammer blow to the back of his head, throwing him onto his face. The loud clang of the blow still echoed through his head. SaberNekomon slashed MetalGreymon?s tail just because she could, and then leapt at WereGarurumon. WereGarurumon tried to bring his fist down on the infuriating cat woman, who simply caught his fist and pulled it forward, bringing him closer. Leaping, she landed a kick to his chest that left him feeling like he?d been hit by a Locomon, and he was sent flying backwards to the ground. From there, she leapt to stamp on MetalGreymon?s head, and bounced to do the same to WereGarurumon?s, getting a rythmic ?Oof!? ?Ugh!? from them. She giggled again, despite her growing annoyance at their ever-continuing interference. She hadn?t had this much fun in... she had [i]never[/i] had this much fun! She hopped down from WereGarurumon?s bruised skull just as he began to devolve back into Gabumon. As SaberNekmon turned away, MetalGreymon reverted down to Koromon.

SaberNekomon didn?t have to turn to know that Angewomon was probably taking aim. She dropped and rolled to let any possible Celestial Arrows fly by. Sure enough, an explosion struck the spot where she?d just been standing. She leapt in the direction that the arrow had been fired from, and as expected, Angewomon was in her path. The angel Digimon fired two more arrows, but SaberNekomon managed to twist around them both. She reached Angewomon, knocking her bow out of her hand, tearing it off of the sleeve it had grown from. The arrow she was trying to ready dropped to the ground below. SaberNekomon grabbed Angewomon by the wing and held on tight, yanking off her helmet. She got a glimpse of Angewomon?s blue eyes. Her pupilless blue eyes. Angewomon?s flying instantly became more erratic. ?Hah! And I was wondering how you saw [i]with[/i] this thing!? SaberNekomon laughed hysterically. ?How i[i]ron[/i]ic!? On the syllable [i]ron,[/i] she struck the helmet against Angewomon?s head. Angewomon spiralled to the ground. SaberNekomon touched down next to her, where she was reaching frantically for her lost helmet. ?Keep on,? SaberNekomon taunted. ?It?s right [i]there![/i]? On [i]there,[/i] she kicked Angewomon in the back, causing her to roll over twice. SaberNekomon laughed.

?Heaven?s Charm!? Angewomon fired in the direction of the laughter, and the rainbow of energy sent a nova of pain through SaberNekomon?s body. SaberNekomon screamed, and dropped Angewomon?s helmet.

?Heaven?s...? SaberNekomon wasn?t waiting for the next attack. She forced herself forward, her fury drowning out the pain in an instant. Howling, she flung her foot under Angewomon and kicked her as if she were a soccer ball. In a burst of light, Angewomon reverted to Gatomon. The helmet and bow vanished as Gatomon landed on her back several yards away. SaberNekomon felt an itch that she would later come to realize was Koromon and Gabumon trying to use their attacks against her.

Far too angry to compose a parting shot, SaberNekomon settled for leaping into the air and plunging toward Gatomon, her claws poised to tear the Champion to shreds. Her grinning mouth was stretched grotesquely wide as Gatomon became larger and larger between her outstretched claws in her red-clouded vision.

?No!? A familiar voice. Through her rage, it took SaberNekomon a moment to recognize it as Kari?s. Kari was now standing in front of Gatomon, her eyes shut tightly against what she knew was coming. Tears were streaming down her face.

SaberNekomon?s eyes went wide as she saw Kari growing closer in the slow motion of crisis, her claws speeding toward the terrified girl. SaberNekomon gasped, and duplicating her exit from the Kamiya residence, she thought of an alley she?d passed by on the way to the store, and decided that that alley was where she was. And in a flicker of yellow light, she was there.

With a roar, she kicked a nearby garbage can. It sailed out of the alley and clear across the street, stopping only when it slammed into the wall of a building. [i]Why?[/i] she screamed silently, trying to reason what had happened. [i]Again, you choose her over me. Why?[/i] Tears began to roll down her face. It took her a moment to realize what they were. As Miko, that had never happened to her.

She heard a meowing, and looked to see a small kitten where the garbage can had been. Apparently, he had been ready to jump into the garbage can to rummage for food. With a sigh, SaberNekomon gathered the kitten into her arms, and sat down against a wall. The kitten rubbed his head against SaberNekomon, purring.

*****

Hikari Kamiya realized that she was still alive. She gathered the courage to open her eyes, and saw that SaberNekomon was gone. Suddenly weak, she fell to the ground beside Gatomon. Gatomon walked over to her shakily, and Kari sat up, and hugged her partner tightly. ?Are you okay, Gatomon??

?Don?t worry about me,? Gatomon said. ?You shouldn?t have had to do that. I?m so sorry...?

?It?s not your fault,? Kari assured her.

Soon, Kari herself was embraced by Tai. Matt, Koromon, and Gabumon were immediately at her and Gatomons? sides as well. ?Kari, are you hurt are you all right what did she do to you I thought for a second...? Tai blurted all at once.

?We?re fine,? Kari said. ?She... didn?t want to hurt me.?

?What are you talking about?? Tai demanded. ?She almost cut you in half! I swear I?m going to kill that...?

?No, Tai,? Kari insisted. ?She stopped before she?d have hurt me. She could have killed me, but she stopped and... where is she, anyway??

?She disappeared,? Matt said. ?Literally disappeared, with maybe a quarter inch to go. You sure you?re not hurt??

?I?m sure. But why?d she stop? I know any of the Dark Masters would have given an arm to be where she was.? Kari scooped up Gatomon, and rose to her feet. ?Are Agumon and Gabumon all right??

[i]How does she do it?[/i] Tai wondered. [i]After all that, she?s still thinking of the Digimon, and even trying to figure out SaberNekomon. How?s she do it?[/i] ?Everybody?s fine, Kari. Look, I?ve got to call Izzy again and tell him we don?t need backup. Then we need to get over to his place so we can figure this out. I?d take you home, but we?ve got to see if Izzy can shed some light on this, and I?m not leaving you there alone ?til we get back.?

?Okay,? Kari mumbled, not really caring for all the attention. ?She?s after Gatomon anyway, so I ought to be there.?

Tai led Kari into the store where it had all began. ?Back in a sec,? he told the others.

?She [i]was[/i] playing with us,? Gabumon confirmed his earlier idea. ?She had no problem beating us as Ultimates. It [i]is[/i] just a game to her.?

?She could have gotten out of my grip any time she wanted,? Koromon added. ?She just wanted to see if she could do it while ?playing fair.? The Four Guardians only know what she can really do.?

?And she?s seriously unstable,? Matt said, not bothering to ask who the Four Guardians were. ?She?d go from a kid in a candy store to a blind rage and back.? [i]And to think I actually thought she was cute,[/i] he added silently.

?We?ve got to figure what we?re going to do about her. But right now, we?d better get moving,? Gabumon said, motioning to the police, who were out of their cars and on their way, though cautiously. ?Looks like the officers have regained their nerve.?

Matt, Agumon, and Gabumon ran into the store after Tai to warn him. Tai said a quick ?Gotta go, bye!? to Izzy before dropping the phone. Kari followed a step behind Tai, and the six made their exit through the rear door.
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  • 2 weeks later...
?So you?ve never heard of a SaberNekomon?? Tai said.

?No,? Tentomon answered. ?And I know most of the Digimon who are [i]that[/i] strong. I?ve made a point of it memorizing them since I learned we?d wind up in mortal combat with most of them.?

The six veterans of the battle of the Inoue store had immediately rushed to the Izumi residence to get answers. Now, they were sitting in Izzy?s bedroom, with the TV tuned to news broadcasts showing the same tape of the battle over and over. Gatomon winced as she watched the debacle again and again from several angles, becoming more and more humiliated as she watched SaberNekomon batter her and the others. [i]She does [u]not[/u] get away with that,[/i] she vowed, a little of the unwillingness to let a defeat go unpunished that Myotismon had instilled in her resurfacing.

Mrs. Izumi had insisted on making snacks for all of them, (double helpings for Tentomon, who was a black hole when it came to her cooking) and had fussed over Gatomon?s wounds. Gatomon was annoyed with all the attention, but didn?t try to stop Izzy?s well-meaning mother. Now, she looked like she?d just come from the emergency ward, the bandages making her look much worse off than the wounds had. Then Mrs. Izumi had departed, not wanting to interfere with what she had termed ?official Digidestined business.?

?My Analyzer doesn?t have a record of any Digimon like that,? Izzy said. ?It can scan new Digimon, but unfortunately, it?d have to be in person to get info on one that?s not in Gennai?s file.?

?In other words, try to take a reading before you get skewered,? Tai said. ?Great plan.?

Izzy shrugged. ?Can?t help it. But that?s not the important thing. She can?t be attacking just for the fun of it...?

?Not to hear her tell it,? Matt said. ?She acts like the whole thing?s a game. She laughs when she kicks us around. A real laugh, not like Piedmon or somebody. She sounds like she?s having fun.?

?She sounds almost innocent, like a child. Except when she?s fighting Gatomon,? Gabumon said. ?Then she goes mad.?

?Sounds like a personal vendetta,? Izzy said. ?But she says she?s after all of you??

?She didn?t attack Kari,? Gatomon said. ?When Kari got in her way, she teleported out just before it was too late.?

?Hmm,? Izzy said, frowning as he did whenever trying to decipher a puzzle. ?Interesting. You don?t think you knew her when she was at a different stage?? he asked Gatomon.

?Maybe. I?ve got no shortage of enemies after my time with Myotismon.?

Izzy swiveled his chair around to face the others. ?The main thing is, whenever someone?s attacked us like this, there?s always been more to it than met the eye. And they?re always emotionally stable, even if not entirely sane. I would be willing to wager that someone has sent her. We need to know just who she is and who put her up to this, and how she managed to get through a Digital Gate.?

?Who?d send someone to the real world after us, anyway?? Matt asked. ?It?s not like we?re a threat from here, especially before we knew something was up.?

?Perhaps whoever it is knows who we are, and knows the prophecy,? Gabumon suggested. ?They know that the only way to get whatever they?re after is to go through us.?

?If that?s true,? Gatomon said, ?then whoever it is knows the full extent of our power as of the last time they saw us, and chose their warrior accordingly.?

?So that crazy chick might be able to take on two Megas and eight Ultimates?? Matt said.

?They?d be hard-pressed to find anyone that strong,? Izzy said. ?Most likely SaberNekomon has been instructed to fight us a few at a time, or has some sort of a strategy.?

?Or maybe they figure she can get at least a few of us so there will be less opposition for the less-expendable warriors to deal with,? Gatomon said.

?In other words, we?re still clueless,? Tai stated.

?We do know that we?ll have to face whoever the mastermind is sooner or later, probably sooner,? Izzy said. ?We?d better get prepared for another trip to the digital world, possibly today. I?m looking for open gates right now.?

?What have you got?? Gatomon said, hopping up onto Izzy?s desk to get a closer look at his computer. Her head throbbed from the motion, but she tried not to let it show.

?Looking... got it. Not much right now. There?s a bakery in Shinjuku, but that gate?s already beginning to close, there?s a weak spot in the barrier at a high school in Tamachi, but no gate yet. Next nearest thing is a library in Kawaguchi. If all else fails, there?s just about always one in Kyoto.?

?Right now, I say we call the others,? Tai said.

?Here.? Izzy tossed him his cellular phone. ?But don?t talk too long. I?m almost out of minutes...?

Tai rolled his eyes as he began to dial.

*****

SaberNekomon was having trouble deciding what to do next. How was she going to kill Gatomon now that Kari was protecting her? Also, she knew she?d have to deal with the entire group eventually. It was the way they seemed to work: if she singled out any one of them, all of them will protect that one. It made no sense, but it worked well enough to give her a few headaches. [i]At least I get to toss them around some more,[/i] she thought. It was more fun that way anyway. She imagined herself picking up MetalGreymon and using him to bat some superpowerful Digdiestined Digimon around.

Then came what she was going to do about Tai and Kari. The close call with Kari had given her a rude awakening: Her benefactor had told her to destroy the Digidestined, but she had no intentions of killing Tai and Kari. [i]Oh, well, I?ll think of something sooner or later,[/i] she figured, putting that thought aside. Best not to think about that right now. She?d take Gatomon out of the picture and everything would be just as it was before. Then she?d worry about strange men and bats.

But all that could wait. Right now, there was something more pressing at hand. [i]You look hungry, little guy,[/i] she thought, stroking the kitten?s fur. She stood, and turned when she caught the scent of several cats behind her. [i]In fact, you all look hungry.[/i] ?Follow me,? she said simply.

They did.

*****

?Gomamon?s not around,? Joe told Tai. ?Once he gets back, I?ll tell him everything.?

?Not around?? Tai said. ?He?s a seal, it?s not like he can get that far.?

?Not as Gomamon. But as Bukamon, he flies, or sorta floats.?

?I didn?t think they could digivolve backwards unless...?

?...they use a lot of energy,? Joe finished. ?So whenever he gets ready to go out, he?s got to use a lot of his power. And we all know what his power is. The pool?s full of fish, the sinks are full of fish, the bathtub?s full of fish... when I get my hands on that seal...?

?I get the picture.?

?I?ll call Mimi, then I?ll see if Gomamon?s back yet. We?ll be sure to make contact.?

?Guess I?ll hear from you then. Bye.?

?Later.? Joe hung up. [i]Just where is Gomamon, anyway?[/i]

*****

?The view?s great here,? Bukamon said. ?You can see most of Tokyo.?

?Told you,? Biyomon said. She and Bukamon were perched on the roof of the Highton View Terrace apartments, not far from where Garudamon had had her battle with Mammothmon. But for once, they weren?t talking about any crisis. ?It?s great to sit up here and watch all the humans. Nothing like watching them run around to make you appreciate our lives. When no one?s attacking, we get to take it easy. I?d hate to be on a schedule all the time like them.?Biyomon sighed contentedly.

?I know,? Bukamon said. ?Or a nice swim through the ocean. It?s like a completely different world down there. Of course, Joe?s afraid of heights [i]and[/i] the ocean, so it?s not like [i]he?d[/i] have much fun...?

Biyomon giggled, playfully swatting him with a wing. ?Be nice to poor Joe,? she said.

?Who, me, nice? You know me better than that.?

That got another giggle from Biyomon. Bukamon laughed too, and hoped he could get her to laugh again in the future. Then, he sighed. [i]Better get it over with.[/i] ?Uh, Biyomon??

?Yeah??

?You see... I...? Bukamon began stumbling on his words, something rare for him. Biyomon looked up at him, her large blue eyes looking directly into his. He got the feeling that she knew already, and was making him suffer on purpose. ?Biyomon, I...?

?Huh?? Biyomon gasped, looking forward once more.

?What?? Bukamon asked.

?You don?t see... oh, yeah, you?re not a bird. Looked like an explosion of some kind, at that building over there.? She pointed with a wing, and then lifted off. Bukamon didn?t see what she was pointing at, so he simply followed.

[i]Talk about bad timing. Whoever that is is [u]so[/u] gonna get it,[/i] Bukamon thought.

Biyomon and Bukamon glided down to the source of the disturbance. A pet supply shop. Most of the windows were broken, and a great din could be heard inside, as if a wrecking crew was at work.

?Yaargh!? A man came smashing through one of the few remaining intact windows, flying over Biyomon and Bukamons? heads, to land in the middle of the street. A laugh was heard from inside.

?Why us?? Bukamon muttered.

The two small Digimon ventured inside to see a curious sight: shelves were overturned and everything breakable was broken. Scurrying about it all were cats. Hundreds of meowing, hissing cats, tearing into bags of food. Even a few cans had been torn open.

?Cats really [i]do[/i] prefer Fancy Feast,? Bukamon observed. ?How?d they get into those cans, anyway??

?I?d worry more about how they even got here,? Biyomon said. ?Is this someone?s idea of a joke??

?Quite serious,? a female voice said. ?Rare as that is for me.? In a flicker of yellow energy, a teenager with the eyes, ears, and tail of a cat appeared atop one of the few shelves that was still standing. She had a contented expression, and was idly twirling her hair with her clawed fingers.

?What do you think you?re doing?? Bukamon demanded.

?Feeding them,? she said, gesturing to the cats. ?Surely you wouldn?t have me let them starve? You Digidestined are supposed to be the good guys.?

?How?d you know who we are?? Biyomon asked.

SaberNekomon realized she didn?t actually have an answer. She?d just known them on sight, and hadn?t questioned how. Another surprise from Myotismon. She wish she had a way of determining just how much she knew now. She chuckled, realizing she now knew her benefactor?s name. But she also knew it was important to not reveal it. Instead, she shrugged. ?Innate superiority, I guess. Now are you going to digivolve, or what? Wouldn?t be any fun to fight you as you are now.?

?Why do you want to fight us?? Biyomon asked. ?We never did anything to you.?

?Oh, it?s just something to do,? answered SaberNekomon. ?Now hurry up and digivolve already.?

?Um...? Bukamon started. [i]How to refuse without letting her know we?re evolution-challenged at the moment?[/i] ?No. We?re... not going to help amuse you.?

?Too bad,? SaberNekomon sighed, raising her claws. The cats closest to Biyomon and Bukamon moved away instantly. ?Better get it over with, then. Tigris...?

?Wait!? Biyomon shouted. ?We just... what if you, uh, wait until you guys finish eating first??

?Hmm...? she said, looking down as if deep in thought. ?Nah. Tigris Wave!? She lazily tossed an energy arc their way. They flew to avoid it and wound up crashing into each other, and struggled to disentangle themselves and get out of the way. The arc struck between them, and the explosion catapulted them into the air, leaving them to crash into the stack of dog food cans that was the only thing the cats had left untouched. The cans collapsed onto the Rookie and In-Training. They could hear their foe giggling like a child.

[i]Okay, this one?s a few birds short of a flock,[/i] Biyomon thought. [i]Here?s hoping Joe and Sora sense we?re in trouble.[/i]

She and Bukamon climbed out from under the can avalanche. ?Spiral Twister!?

?Bubble Blow!?

?Oh, come on,? SaberNekomon said as the attacks failed to do as much as wrinkle her clothes. ?Even these guys can do better than that.? She indicated the rampaging cats. Her eyes lit up as she got an idea. ?In fact...? she gave a meow.

Instantly, more than a hundred of the cats stopped their vandalism and surged toward Bukamon and Biyomon, tearing at them with their teeth and claws, knowing to stay away from their mouths to avoid attacks.

[i]Why us?[/i] Bukamon wondered again as he flailed to dislodge the snarling, biting alley cats.
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  • 3 weeks later...
Sorry this took so long. With college and the other dimension arc of V2 (which I?ve got to have done before whoever?s doing the Millenniumon part gets around to releasing him) this took a lot longer than I?d planned to get out, but here it is. It?s a bit longer than the other parts.

Ch. 5

Sora Takenouchi kicked the soccer ball for all she was worth. It sailed across the front yard of the Takenouchi house, to be stopped by her father. "Not bad," Mr. Takenouchi said, with one foot on top of the ball. Sora charged forward. "Not bad at all." Mr. Takenouchi gave the ball a solid kick, and it went straight between Sora's legs, past her faster than the eye could follow, and between the
two rocks that they had set up as a goal.

"How did you..." Sora said.

"With practice." Mr. Takenouchi ruffled his daughter's hair.

Sora's father was constantly working, and rarely had time for simple things like a game of soccer in the front yard. Sora treasured every moment of times like this. "You just got lucky!" she shouted as she ran to get the ball and started to drive it back across the yard. She gave it a good, hard kick to send it over her father's head. She grinned as she watched him chase after it, and moved into position to take whatever he could throw at her.

From nowhere, she felt an icy fist around her heart, so suddenly that she stopped in her tracks and gasped. At the same time, her digivice began beeping. Focusing on the feeling that warned her when Biyomon was in danger, she closed her physical eyes and tried to see with her mind's eye, in hopes of finding her. [i]Which way, I just need the direction...[/i]

"Look out!" her father shouted. An instant later, the soccer ball slammed into Sora's face, and she was so stunned she fell over. "Oh, man. Sora, are you all right? I didn't mean to, you just zoned out and..."

"Biyomon! She needs me, she's in some kind of trouble, we've got to go, we've got to find her, we..."

"Whoa! Slow down. Where is she right now?"

"I don't know, the feeling, it doesn't tell me that..." she took out her Digivice. It was rather unhelpfully flashing digital symbols in red. She began pushing buttons at random. [i]Come on, you stupid tamagotchi, I need something I can use...[/i] One random combination of buttons caused the world around her to be blotted out, and there was a flash of... somewhere else. A store of some kind, a store that had been ransacked. And then it was all gone. [i]Remember, Sora! Remember! Where?![/i] She'd seen a glimpse of writing on the walls, but just a glimpse.

"Uh, sweetie, you were glowing. Is that normal?"

"Nakajima's!" Sora shouted. "It said Nakajima?s. Do you know what that is?"

"I think that's a pet supply store not far from Highton View Terrace. Is that where Biyomon is?"

"It has to be. Look, if she's in danger, I need to..."

"I understand," Mr. Takenouchi said. After a pause, he added, "I'll give you a ride down there, if that's what you need."

?Thanks,? Sora sighed with relief. She was never sure how her parents would take her needing to rush off on Digidestined business. They were always pretty good about it, but there was always a part of her that said [I]Yeah, right. ?A bird from another world?s probably under attack from some giant city-wrecking creature. Would you mind driving me to ground zero?? Sure, they?ll buy that.[/I]

Soon, Sora and her father were underway, speeding down the quickest route to Highton View Terrace. ?Don?t worry, Sora, we?ll get there in time,? Mr. Takenouchi said.

?Thanks for understanding.?

?Hey, you kids stopped Myotismon when everybody else was clueless. I?d much rather you be at home and not involved in any of this, but I know you know what you?re doing, and that nobody else can do it, so, the best thing to do is to be a help and not a hindrance.?

[i]Um, we usually [u]don?t[/u] know what we?re doing.[/i] ?Thanks, Daddy.?

*****

[I]What have you gotten yourself into this time, Gomamon?[I] Joe Kido wondered as he stopped at Nakajima?s Pet Supply Warehouse, leaving his motorcycle near the front. [AN: *[i]cough[/i] first VenomMyotismon episode [i]cough[/i]*] He came inside to see Biyomon and Bukamon trying to struggle their way free of a feline army. [I]Oh, boy.[/I] ?Bukamon, I?m here!? Joe shouted as his digivice came to life.

?Bukamon digivolve to? Gomamon!? Gomamon thrashed and tossed some of the cats away, but there were still enough clinging to him to do damage. ?Marching Fishes!? Gomamon called. The colored fish appeared in the air and flew past Gomamon and Biyomon. The cats, whose hunger hadn?t yet been sated, turned to chase after the fish.

?Spoilsport.?

Joe spun around in time to get a glimpse of the cat girl that gave him a hard shove, sending him flying into one of the overturned shelves. She popped a green fish into her mouth and walked towards him.

?Hey!? Gomamon shouted.

SaberNekomon wondered if Gomamon meant the fish or walking towards his partner, but she realized she didn?t care. ?I suppose you?re here to stop the evil Digimon from her senseless rampage and all that jazz? Let?s see what you?ve got.?

?I... uh...? Joe stammered, knowing who he was dealing with and how easily she could break him in two. And it was his anticipation of being snapped in two that saved him.

?Gomamon digivolve to... Ikkakumon!? One stamp on the ground convinced the cats to give him and Biyomon some room. ?Harpoon Torpedo!?

SaberNekomon was, of course, unaffected by the blasts. But, knowing that the other cats weren?t that strong, she decided to take the battle outside. But she just couldn?t resist first tossing Ikkakumon into the base of the last standing shelf, knocking it over on top of him. After taking a second to enjoy the sight of Ikkakumon half-buried in dog dishes, she leapt through the window and landed in a crouch, letting Ikakkumon?s two Harpoon Torpedoes sail over her. Not that she had to dodge, but it was more fun if she did. She leapt into the air and out of Ikkakumon?s sight, and didn?t come back down.

?When I get my hands on her...? Ikkakumon seethed. ?Joe??

?Right,? Joe said. With a bit of concentration that was easier each time, he forced down the part of him that was worried about the psycho kitty that was probably waiting to pounce on him and tried to think about something reliability related. [i]Gotta do this... world needs us, we?ve got to find her before she can do any more damage... where?s that crest power... ah, there we go.[/i]

?Ikkakumon digivolve to... Zudomon!? Zudomon cautiously walked out, at least as cautiously a giant animal can smash his way through a wall. He was careful to stick his head out first, looking up. [i]Does she really think I?m dumb enough to just come running out of...[/i] his train of thought stopped when he realized that she was indeed not above him. He held his hammer above his head, ready to smash, and rose to his full impressive height, looking over the roof of the building. He did see news crews coming closer and police leading people away, but his foe was nowhere to be found. He groaned, and wondered briefly how well it would go over with the others if he collected Joe and Biyomon, waved goodbye to the nice kitties, and left them to their meal. If that psycho chick was anything like the cat she resembled, she?d leave soon enough when she got bored, and her entourage would go with her.

Nah. But it was nice to think about.

*****

?Biyomon, are you okay?? Joe said, kneeling to the pink bird?s eye level.

?More or less,? Biyomon groaned. ?I hate cats.?

She flapped to land on his shoulder as he went to look for a phone to call the others. ?What about Gatomon?? Joe said.

?She?s a Digimon. Cat Digimon are okay. Those things...? Biyomon said, pointing at the feasting cats with one wing, ?I?d rather go another round with Myotismon.?

?Will I do?? a friendly voice inquired. Joe spun around to find razor-sharp claws at his throat and gasped. SaberNekomon giggled at the expression on Joe?s face, but the claws remained where they were. ?Really hate to do this now, just like that, with no drama, but you?re messing with our mealtime. So, adios... [i]aaargh!?[/i]

The sharp end of Zudomon?s chrome digizoid hammer struck her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her and sending her flying. The cats hissed at Zudomon, but made no move to attack, and drew back once the hammer returned to him.

?What?s the matter?? Zudomon challenged. ?You?ll attack defenseless humans, but not me??

SaberNekomon clenched her teeth. She pressed her hand to her chest, and it came away bloody. She?d taken beatings before, but only now did she realize she could actually be hurt. [i]Okay, so I take that hammer seriously. Better end this fast.[/i] ?If I must,? she said in answer to Zudomon?s question. And, like lightning, she was up and flying footfirst into Zudomon?s chest. Zudomon fell backwards through what was left of the wall. SaberNekomon spun, kicking the hammer away from Zudomon and out into the street, and bringing the ball of her foot back down on his arm, pinning it against the floor. She tried to not to show that her foot was still smarting. [i]Okay, we do not kick chrome digizoid.[/i] She was getting very frustrated with this encounter. Where was that stupid human, anyway? She knew that killing him would remove the threat Zudomon presented with the least risk to the cats. But he was nowhere to be found. How mean. Oh, well. If she was careful, she could still dispatch Zudomon without hurting the other cats. That?d be more fun anyway.

She turned back to Zudomon, and felt the pain from her wound. Her eyes narrowed. Yes, she was [i]so[/i] going to enjoy this.

Zudomon threw a punch, but SaberNekomon deflected it and pulled, bringing Zudomon down, falling towards her. Rolling onto her back, she deftly positioned her feet between herself and his body, and kicked. She was rewarded with the satisfying crunch of the breaking of the cans Zudomon had landed on, the same ones he?d been half buried in before. [i]This is more like it![/i] She kicked his feet out from under him as he tried to stand again. It was quickly obvious that, while his hammer was made of chrome digizoid, he was no stronger than her other foes. She wished she didn?t have to be so careful with the cats so close. What she wouldn?t do to be able to give him a proper thrashing.

Zudomon rolled onto his back and spun, his horn sweeping SaberNekomon?s legs out from under her. When she went careening into a pile of boxes of dog snacks, she giggled as if it was a carnival ride as she got back up and flipped into the air. Zudomon stood as quickly as he could, and reached for the cat girl in midair. SaberNekomon landed on top of his closed fist and jumped toward his head, landing a snap kick to the base of his skull. Zudomon saw stars.

SaberNekomon landed in a dramatic pose and patiently waited for him to get up again. The cats were moving closer to watch the battle, and SaberNekomon wished that she could cut loose and put on a real show. Oh, well. There were seven more where he came from.

?Arrivederci, walrus boy.?
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Outside, Joe and Biyomon were having a battle of their own.

?Hey!? Joe shouted. A group of JSDF soldiers were wrapping steel cables to Zudomon?s hammer in order to take it away by helicopter. ?Cut that out! Zudomon needs it!? [i]How?d they get here so fast? There weren?t half that many on the way in![/i]

?Get outta here, kid,? one of them said.

?Hey, we?re not letting you take...? Biyomon started.

The soldier responded by calmly raising his gun. ?You?re not [i]letting[/i] anything. You two are standing back over there, out of our way.? He motioned with the gun.

Biyomon watched Joe and the lead soldier argue while the others continued attaching the hammer. She watched things go nowhere for a few minutes, and finally announced, ?Spiral Twister!? The corkscrewing flames disarmed the man, and a second shot broke one of the cables attached to the hammer. The helicopter, which had begun trying to lift it, jerked with the change in the weight.

?The hell?s going on down there!? shouted the voice of the helicopter pilot. The soldiers? guns were pointed at Biyomon and Joe again.

A car stopped, and out stepped Sora and Mr. Takenouchi. ?Hey, you can?t stop here!? shouted one of the soldiers. Meanwhile, Biyomon took out a second cable holding up the giant hammer, causing it to crash to the ground with a [i]thoom.[/i] Brilliant yellow sparks flew from beneath it and the ground shook.

?Sora!? Biyomon shouted. ?There?s some kind of cat Digimon in there that I?ve never seen before! She?s a lot stronger than we are.?

?She?s called SaberNekomon,? Joe said. ?Tai called me about her before I headed for here. He says she?s easily as powerful as three Ultimates. We... don?t exactly have a plan as of yet.?

?The usual blindly rushing into things,? Biyomon added. ?Feels just like old times.?

Sora sighed. ?Well, you know the drill, Biyomon.? Sora took out her digivice. ?Dad, you might want to get out the line of fire. We can take it from here.?

?I?ll never get used to this,? Mr. Takenouchi sighed. ?You be careful. I won?t be too far off if you need me.?

?Thanks, Dad. I love you.? Sora gave her father a quick hug.

?Don?t worry,? Biyomon said. ?I?ll protect her.? She looked back at the angry JSDF officers. ?This is going to be fun.?

In short order, Garudamon was towering over the JSDF officers, With one hand, she reached down and plucked the helicopter out of the sky by its tail, and pulled it to eye level, looking into it. Then, slowly, she shook her head, and wagged her other finger. Then she released the helicopter and watched it flutter away until the pilots regained control. Then, with a gentle tug, she snapped the last cable attached to the hammer like a thread, easily lifted the hammer, and was back to the pet supply store with one small step. ?Mr. Nakajima, I?m so sorry about this,? she said to herself.

*****

Zudomon was swinging futilely to hit SaberNekomon, but it was like trying to hit a fly in midair. It was nearly impossible, and she had no problem shaking of the few clumsy hits that did connect. Every third swing he took, she moved in close and slashed him. After a few minutes of this, she gave him four free swings, leapt in and gave him a good kick to the chest, and flipped back to a wall, to cling there with her feet and one hand. She made a big show of yawning.

"Game over, walrus boy," she said once Zudomon was on his feet again. "Tigris Wave!"

With her claws energized, she plunged straight towards Zudomon?s throat. Zudomon was trying to move out of the way, but she knew his neck wouldn?t be out of her claws? path by the time she reached it. In the half-second that remained, she thought about what a funny word "trajectory" was. [i]Hee hee.[/i]

But, in one fourth of a second, a great wind took the roof right off of Nakajima?s and blew both her and Zudomon over several yards. Rubble fell towards the cats, who scattered to avoid it. SaberNekomon missed Zudomon?s neck by a matter of millimeters and sped past him, her claws burying themselves in a pillar. The explosion of energy turned the pillar into dust and sent her flying backwards, her hands feeling worse than her chest had when Zudomon?s hammer struck her. Her nerves [i]sang[/i] with pain. When she looked into the sky to see Garudamon beating her wings to generate the wind, the pain was was quickly replaced by rage. With a lion?s roar, she flung herself into the air, covering the distance between herself and Garudamon in a second. Garudamon dodged aside, but was too large to get herself completely out of harm?s way. Her body was out of SaberNekomon?s path, but one giant wing wasn?t, and SaberNekomon tore completely through it with her claws to land on Garudamon?s back. Garudamon howled in pain and flapped to dislodge the madwoman, but those damned claws held tight, digging in deep. Garudamon soared high into the air and performed a loop-the-loop and plunged straight down. Finally, she arrested her speed, letting the momentum tear SaberNekomon painfully off of her back, to fall back into Nakajima?s. Garudamon watched her fall. [i]Why can?t she attack from a distance like everybody else?[/i] "Wing Blade!"

SaberNekomon heard her cry and saw the flaming bird flying towards her, talons outstretched, and realized with horror she was now in the middle of a group of cats. She flung herself upward again, to intercept the Wing Blade halfway to the ground, grinding her teeth as the flame roared over her. "Tigris Wave!" she shouted, flinging an X of energy from both claws. Garudamon, still flying downward, had enough momentum to zip out of its path. SaberNekomon landed again, in front of Zudomon, who had his hammer back now. Garudamon must have dropped it off nearby before attacking. [i]Stupid bird.[/i] SaberNekomon dropped to the floor and rolled between Zudomon?s legs. The hammer landed an inch behind her, shaking the ground.

[i]I have to get the cats out of harm?s way first,[/i] SaberNekomon said. [i]This can wait.[/i]

SaberNekomon meowed loudly, and the cats all began to retreat through a back door. "I?ll be [i]back[/i], you haven?t seen the [i]last[/i] of me, I?ll de[i]stroy[/i] you, and all that jazz," SaberNekomon said disinterestedly and with a hint of disgust. When the cats were all through the door, she followed them.

"That was interesting," Zudomon said. "Ow." He held his aching head.

Garudamon touched down in what was left of Nakajima?s. "Zudomon, you okay?"

"Your wing!" Zudomon said, pointing.

"It?ll heal," Garudamon said. "What about you?"

"Just a headache," he said, trying not to show the pain from the slashes. "Man, I can?t wait to get back to Joe?s place. I?ll be in the pool for the next few hours."

"I think we should try to set these shelves back up," Garudamon said. "We did trash most of Nakajima?s store with that fight."

"Yeah, we should," Zudomon agreed instantly. "Definitely, it?d be the noble thing to do, and... and we... uh..." Zudomon trailed off, and quickly turned to hide his blush.

Garudamon was, of course, completely oblivious. She had already begun setting shelves up, without a word. Zudomon stole a glance back at her, groaned in exasperation, and joined her in propping up overturned shelves.

*****

"Are you still so proud of your little experiment, Myotismon?" the figure on the throne said. "Instead of killing her foes, she takes care of her precious little kitties. Did you create a warrior or a babysitter?" he mocked.

"Provide an alternate plan and I shall implement it," Myotismon said as respectfully as possible. "For now, I?ll straighten her out."

"Very well, Myotismon. "But..."Not waiting for the Ancient One?s parting threat, Myotismon bowed halfheartedly and clutched the artifact, and was back in the castle. He could only be polite for so long. His patience was wearing thin, and he?d never been the most patient Digimon in the world to begin with. [i]The plan, remember the plan,[/i] he growled. [I]He?ll get his soon enough if you don?t screw it up beforehand.[/I]

Walking back into the castle proper, he encountered his right-hand mon, Mikemon. Mikemon was a calico version of Gatomon, with a more mischeivous look in his eyes. His ego surpassed that of even Myotismon himself, and he never went too long without extolling his own virtues. And he had the annoying habit of always speaking in third person. Myotismon wasn?t sure whether that was natural or affected. He suspected Mikemon did it just to annoy him.

"How go the preparations?" Myotismon asked.

"Mikemon?s gotcha covered," Mikemon answered. "The army?s ready to go. Mikemon got you some lean, mean fightin? machines called Cannondramon. They?ll nuke any resistance or your money back. Not that you ever pay Mikemon, but..." Mikemon trailed off.

Neither Mikemon nor anyone else knew about the Ancient One. Myotismon wasn?t having anyone learning that there was someone above him, someone they could go to in order to get at him. That would be begging for trouble. All his people knew was that, were they to follow orders, they would be handsomely rewarded, and were they to disobey, they would be severely punished.

"Good work, Mikemon," Myotismon said. "You just may be worthy of me after all."

"That?s high praise coming from you, Myo."

"How many times have I told you, [i]don?t call me Myo!"[/i]

Mikemon frowned in concentration. "Uh, that?s two hundred and seventy-four, Myo." Mikemon disappeared down a corridor before Myotismon could throttle him.

"Why do I keep him around?" Myotismon wondered aloud. "Why?" There were plenty of warriors Mikemon?s equal. He was strong, but Myotismon had Ultimates and Megas in his army. A Cerberumon worth his salt could wipe out five Mikemon on a bad day. Mikemon was a good planner and organizer, but even those weren?t extremely rare. Not a day went by that he didn?t think about using Mikemon for target practice and figuring out how to replace him later.

But every time he started to wring the stupid little cat?s scrawny neck, a different image superimposed itself over Mikemon in his mind: A certain nearly-identical cat Digimon whose fur was pure white and whose eyes were blue. Someone he hated. Someone he loathed and despised like no other. And yet, that somehow made it impossible for Myotismon to go through with killing him. And once Mikemon realized it, he?d been getting away with murder. [I]You?ll pay for that, too, Gatomon.[/I]Myotismon let his path take him to the gate room, and he looked over the cards that he would use to bring the Ancient One back into the Digital World. For the short time that he?d be there. [I]Soon,[/I] he thought. [I]Soon this little game of ours will end, Ancient One. I?ll have my power back and then some and I won?t have to depend on you to survive. And you?ll go back to being nothing but a bad memory. No one is my master.[/I]

Once he had his powers back, all to himself instead of on loan from the high-and-mighty ?Ancient One,? he was going to begin work on his hit list. His Ancientness would be the first to fall. From there, the remaining Digidestined. Then he?d put the army that the Ancient One had ordered mobilized to good use. He vowed that before twenty-four hours passed, he would stand atop Escher Castle and look as far as the eye could see, and would see nothing that didn?t belong to him.

Myotismon summoned his bats, and had them make a window. Soon, he was looking at a foggy image of SaberNekomon... and more cats than he'd ever seen in one place before.

"SaberNekomon?" Myotismon called. "I have a new assignment for you. I believe you'll find it... amusing."

"Really?" SaberNekomon said, her ears perking up as she spun to face the window. ?What??

?Think of it as a game of cat and mouse.?
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  • 2 months later...
Sorry it?s taken so long. For once I?m not just being a lazy sumbitch: When I went home for Thanksgiving, I was working on it, then when I got back to school, the part that I had done wasn?t there. I guess the file got misplaced. Rather than do all that over again and try to remember what I?d written, I decided to just wait until I got back for Christmas break less than a month later, and finals were coming up anyway. Then, I got home, and couldn?t find the part that I?d worked on on any of the disks here or my dad?s computer, and thus wound up redoing those parts anyway. But, I?m back on track now, at long last. The office scene's more than a bit rushed, I hope it's okay.

*****

When Myotismon had finished instructing SaberNekomon, he dismissed the bats. SaberNekomon would see the window iris shut as the bats surrounding it disappeared inside. He?d spent a great deal of time developing his ?special effects? for maximum impact. It would never do to for the bat window to simply pop in and out of existence.

A Cerberumon entered the gate room from the stairs behind Myotismon. The demon dog was in charge of security in Escher Castle, and reported directly to Myotismon himself. "My lord, do you think she?ll actually do it??

"She?s a cat, what do you expect?" Myotismon said. "But she?ll get to it when she?s ready. That?s part of the plan."

Knowing better than to inquire further, Cerberumon simply nodded.

"Do you have something to report?"

"Ah, no, just curious," Cerberumon said, walking deeper into the gate room. "So this is the doorway between worlds." He looked over the huge gate, and the gargoyles lined on either side of it, looking ready to leap from their perches and pounce on whoever was unfortunate enough to be standing beneath them. Which, of course, they were, if Mikemon commanded.

"Yes," Myotismon said. "Once this world is ours, it is from here that we will spread our rule to other worlds. Starting with those humans. I have a score to settle with them."

Reflexively, he started to warn Cerberumon against getting any ideas, but he noted that Cerberumon hadn?t asked how the gate worked, or even cast a glance toward the card activator. That was what Myotismon liked best about Cerberumon: he didn?t get ideas. He dutifully did as he was told, nothing more, nothing less. He never angled for more power or privelege, never kissed up or tried to one-up the other minions. He didn?t even annoy Myotismon the way Mikemon did. He simply did his job. And he had yet to commit a single screw-up, even a small one. Naturally, Myotismon kept a closer eye on him than anyone else in his employ. Someone like that was too good to be true, and [i]had[/i] to be up to something.

?If you like the gate room so much, you can keep an eye on those fools.? Myotismon gestured to the Soulmon milling about the Gate room. Soulmon were essentially Bakemon who wore black dunce caps with a red trim. The difference was in power. They wouldn?t be defeated by chanting or slaughtered en masse by Rookies. Unfortunately, they weren?t much brighter than Bakemon were. But they didn?t need to be.

Myotismon took up the keycards for the gate, turned them over, and lay them in place. It would be a while longer until the gate would open, though. The Ancient One?s temple was in a dimension that was not always accessible. It came into synch with one of the gate?s target dimensions only once every few years, and only stayed for a few minutes. At the right moment, he?d add the Ancient One?s device to the cards.

That made the timing of his plan crucial, and he wasn?t even slightly comfortable with making it rely on SaberNekomon. But he?d had no other choice. He had needed to present the Ancient One with a warrior who was capable of handling the Digidestined, but wouldn?t kill them immediately. All of Myotismon?s power belonged to the Ancient One, including the power that he had placed in Miko. He couldn?t afford to have SaberNekomon succeed and the Ancient One pat her on the back for a job well done and take that power back. To be sure, it wouldn?t hurt if she got rid of a few Digidestined while she was at it, but Myotismon would be happy if he could just keep her out there a while longer.

It was no coincidence that he had chosen Miko, though any cat, or any animal at all, in fact, would have done nicely. Miko would not kill her former owners, ensuring at least two Digidestined would survive to unwittingly play their part in the last leg of his plan.

Even given what was at stake, Myotismon felt the same enjoyment he?d had in the old days when executing one of his plans. He would spring the trap without Mr. Grand Holy High Ancient Superiorness ever suspecting that something was amiss until alas, it was too late. [i]Yes, this is definitely my kind of game.[/i]

*****

?Here we go again,? Tai said. ?We?re the news? top story twice in one day.?

The entire team was gathered around the Kamiyas? living room, a tight fit in the apartment. Tai and Kari had made their mother place her hand over her heart and swear before all that was holy that she would not field test any of her recipes on their friends, may a Snimon slice her seventeen ways if she broke her word. Mrs. Kamiya had laughed, but she?d agreed, and kept her word so far. Tai and Kari were still sure to keep a close eye on her.

?Where?d all those cats come from, anyway?? Mimi asked.

?I?m more interested in where they went,? Sora said. ?Nobody could find a trace of them later.?

?Ooh, that?s gotta hurt,? Patamon said sympathetically as he watched SaberNekomon slice her way through Garudamon?s wing and dig into her back.

Biyomon winced at the sight and the memory that came with it. [i]Do they [u]have[/u] to show parts like that over and over in slow-mo?[/i] ?Wasn?t fun, that?s for sure.? She examined her wing, the cut from SaberNekomon?s savage attack still visible. Whenever she flew, she could feel the lacerated skin stretching, and it felt like a dull knife was being ripped through it. Sora, being Sora, had noticed her favoring the wing and insisted on carrying her around until it completely healed. Biyomon hated imposing on her like that.

And, since her wings doubled as hands, the injury also represented the loss of an arm as well. Curling it to use her finger-feathers was unbearable, far worse than trying to fly, which kept the wing straighter. As Garudamon, her hands and wings were separate so the wound had been barely an annoyance while she was on the ground. She and Zudomon had taken a few minutes to patch up the pet supply store as best they could, and the torn wing hadn?t been much trouble. Then, after she?d gone back down to Biyomon, when she had reached to swat Gomamon on the back of the head for one of his usual corny jokes, it was suddenly as if her hand/wing was on fire.

Biyomon looked over at Gomamon. He?d had it much easier. He hadn?t exactly gotten away without a scratch, but at least he was still able to use both ?hands? and his mobility was unimpaired. [i]Lucky seal.[/i] Not that she actually wished that he?d have been hurt more severely, but still, it wasn?t fair. [i]I guess misery loves company.[/i]

?The cats and SaberNekomon aren?t the issue,? Gomamon said. ?Biyomon and I went a couple of rounds with that psycho chick and trust me, that?s no villainous mastermind.?

?We?ve theorized that someone we fought before sent her, perhaps as a preemptive strike,? Izzy said. ?But who?s left??

?The leaders may be gone, but most of their minions were still out there,? Joe said. ?Any one of them might be thinking they know how to succeed where their ex-boss failed.?

?At least we know she?s not invincible,? Biyomon said. ?Zudomon got a good shot in with his hammer. He actually managed to hurt her. You guys should have seen it.?

Gomamon blushed, something he found himself doing a lot of lately. ?Oh, it was nothing.?

?Nothing? You heard them, they?ve hardly been able to make a dent in her until now.? She turned back to the others, and started rambling. ?She?s coming right for us, but Zudomon?s right outside, he turns around, and...? she used her good wing to pantomime throwing a hammer. ?Wham! He says, ?what?s the matter, you?ll attack defenseless humans...??

? ?Defenseless humans?? ? Joe repeated. He?d forgotten about that part. He grinned, with the grin he usually got before unleashing one of his dreaded tickle attacks on Gomamon. The seal Digimon cringed, knowing his eventual fate.

?Biyomon, please...? Gomamon said. He was bright red now, and the bird Digimon was beaming. [i]I swear, she just likes seeing me stew.[/i] Hey, maybe that was a good sign? Or was it? He filed those thoughts away for later.

?Anyway,? Biyomon said, ?She?s not indestructible.?

?No one is,? Gatomon commented.

?I say we just book the next flight to the Digital World and find out whose harebrained scheme we?ve managed to get sucked into this time,? Matt said. ?There?s nothing for us here but cats with bad attitudes.?

?Right,? Tai said. ?But for right now, I say you should all go back home and gather some supplies. I don?t want this to be like our first trip to Digiworld, with no food, no water...?

?No toilet paper,? Joe added. Everyone made disgusted faces at the unpleasant memories, and TK and Kari exclaimed ?Yuck!? and ?Eew!? respectively.

?Yeah, [i]that[/i] was fun,? Izzy said. ?It is fortunate that for once we have time to prepare.?

?Don?t jinx us,? Sora warned. ?Just for that, the gate?ll probably open right now and right on top of us.?

?You?re [i]both[/i] jinxing us,? Mimi said. ?Besides, you know these gates take longer than Christmas Eve checkout lines. I?m more worried about us being able to get around the Digital World on our walkers by the time one opens.?

*****

Myotismon stood in the doorway of Escher Castle?s mini-museum and its enigmatic artifacts. All were rare, many the only ones of their kind, some the only remainder of dead civilizations, and quite a few were things that only Myotismon himself would be able to identify. He held a mask of the recently-extinct Kotemon. When Myotismon?s armies had attempted conquest, they had gotten the nasty surprise that the Kotemon had learned to control their evolution, capable of becoming Ultimate at will. Soldiers prepared to terrify Rookies had been slaughtered by Kyukimon blades. After Myotismon?s spies failed to learn how they?d done it, Myotismon had sent in the Cannondramon. Ultimates with blades were no match for Megas with cannons, and the Kotemon/Kyukimon were no more. Myotismon had kept the mask as a trophy. He also owned the helmet of one of the long-gone Chamelemon, the fur coat of one of the seldom-seen Psychemon, and, just to keep people guessing as to what it was for, the none-too-rare shell of a KaratsukiNumemon. If a KaratsukiNumemon lost its shell, a new one grew in a few days, and the mountainous SCSI Island was up to its neck in the extremely unremarkable creatures. Naturally, that made the one Myotismon had the ultimate curiosity. There were all kinds of theories about it. Was it a weapon disguised as a shell, something so dangerous even Myotismon dared not use it? Did it once belong to some nigh-invincible Mega who happened to have a similar shell? The idea that it was just a shell and he kept it just to mess with their heads was the least popular of all theories.

Front and center, though, dominating the room, was an empty pedestal. That space was reserved for the artifact that connected him to the Ancient One?s prison. It would soon have its place in his museum, silently speaking of the one who had attempted to control Myotismon, only to learn in his final moments that it was Myotismon who was truly in control. Myotismon was [i]always[/i] in control. [i]Come, Ancient One! Come, so I can bury you![/i]

However, this time, he?d actually found a use for one of his treasures, a cheap wristwatch he?d obtained in the human world. Knowing how humans reckoned time, and having learned their schedule from his time in the human world, it would be fairly easy to predict a time at which all of the Digi-Delinquents were likely to be at home and ready to run to the rescue in the name of truth, justice, and the digital way. And that time was now. He formed a bat window. ?Cerberumon!? he called.

?My lord??

?Can we open a Digital Gate yet??

?I?d have to check the equipment, but I think we?ve got the power.?

?Take the power from whatever you must. Tell the Tinmon to allow Digiports from Terminal GS-185 and open Digital Gates in sectors L-25, C-18, P-56, and J-93. Set the terminal to rotate between the Gates to those locations.?

?Yes, my lord. But if I may ask...?

?The Digidestined are onto us by now, and will be coming to investigate at any time. We shall decide where they land. I have surprises waiting for them at each of those location. They?ll not cause us too much trouble.? Myotismon laughed. This was too, too delicious. Myotismon formed a new window. ?Oh, SaberNekomon,? he sang.

*****

?Okay, Biyomon, ready when you are.? Sora gathered her things, and took one last look at the TV screen. The battle had ended, and Zudomon was waving directly into the camera with a big walrus smile on his face as Garudamon rolled her eyes. Sora got a laugh out of that. ?Okay, guys. See you soon.?

Then, to Biyomon?s annoyance, the broadcast switched back to Garudamon and SaberNekomon?s aerial fight. Biyomon grimaced at it, and yet forgot her torn wing as she tried to fly to Sora?s shoulder and got a nasty surprise. She had decided to fly anyway, but Sora had seen the pain on her face and picked her up before she could protest. [i]Oh, well. Maybe I should just enjoy the special treatment for now,[/i] Biyomon thought. She waved goodbye to the others with her good wing, and the ones who weren?t still watching the battle waved back. ?Later, guys. And Gomamon, remember us little people when your screen career takes off.?

?You can run my fan club,? Gomamon laughed. ?Bye, Biyomon,? he added. There was something about the way he said it, but she couldn?t put her finger on it.

Biyomon waved to Gomamon once more with her good wing, and turned around, beginning to talk to Sora about something having to do with her hat. Gomamon watched her go, muttering to himself. [i]Come on, give me a break![/i]

?We?d better get you home too,? Matt said to TK. ?It?s getting late, and you know Mom.?

?And I?m going to hurry home and start gathering supplies,? Mimi said. ?I?ve got to make sure I have enough makeup, and I?d better change. I mean, imagine getting stuck in the Digital World with these gloves and these jeans? I would just [i]die[/i] if Machinedramon or Devimon saw me like this!?

?Mimi!? everyone chorused.

?Just kidding!? But secretly, she was excited to get back and change into her new designer camping outfit. She could just imagine all the boys staring with awe and the girls staring in envy. A smile spread across Mimi's face.

"Kidding, eh?" Palmon said, knowing her all too well.

"Hey, you can take the mall rat out of the mall, but you can't take the rat from... I mean you can't take the mall out of... you know what I mean."

She had taken exactly three steps towards the door when Izzy said, "Wait! We've got one!"

"Figures," Mimi said. "I think someone up there's laughing at us."

"Where is it?" Palmon said.

"In an office building not far from here," Izzy said. "I suggest we go there immediately. There?s no way to predict how long it will remain open or when another will appear.?

?Nah, that?d be too easy,? Joe said, standing. ?Looks like it?s back to business as usual.?

?Sounds like fun,? Tai said genuinely. ?Let?s move out.?

*****

In short order, eight kids and eight Digimon stood in front of the building in question. Izzy had pinpointed which computer the gate was on, and the plan was to break in and get to the room two doors to the right of the elevator on the sixth floor as fast as possible. It would be simple enough. But first, they had to get through the front door.

?This place is locked up tight,? Tai was saying. ?You?d think somebody?d still be working here at night. We?d better just blast it open, that gate?s not going to stay up forever.?

?This one?s on me,? Agumon said. ?Pepper...?

?No, that?ll set off the fire alarms.? Mimi said. ?Watch this.? She pulled a hairpin from her purse, and had the door open within ten seconds.

?How?d you do that?? Matt said, disbelieving.

?A magician never reveals her secrets.? Mimi grinned, enjoying the latest of those moments where she showed herself to be far more capable than she generally let on. Mimi walked inside, and the others began to follow.

"Hmm," Izzy said. "It is probable that our entry will activate some sort of silent alarm. It is imperative that we do this quickly, because if the authorities were to..."

"Then [i]come on[/i] already!" Tai said, shoving him in. The door clicked shut behind them.
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The building was gloomy, and it wasn?t long into their walk before the Digidestined found themselves in near-total darkness. They could see Exit signs and the small white light far in the distance representing the elevator button, but around them, there was nothing but pitch blackness.

There was something about a building like this that became ominous in the dark, worse than the most sinister alleyway, the creepiest old house. Though Tai knew in his mind that there was nothing to fear, that it was still the same normal building it might be in the day, there was still the feeling that some dire creature was two feet away from him in the darkness, silently walking alongside him and waiting to sink its dagger claws through his body and tear him apart from the inside out, gutting him like a fish before he had the chance to scream in agony.

[i]That?s enough,[/i] he ordered his imagination. [i]It?s just. A. Freakin?. Office. You?re the leader, you have the Crest of Courage, you?re not supposed to be afraid of the dark, now quit being a stupid baby and...[/i] Something furry brushed against his leg, ever so gently. ?YAAAAHH!? he yelped, causing the others to similarly gasp and shout.

?Sorry,? Gatomon said sheepishly. Tai glared at where he thought Gatomon was, while the others glared at where they thought Tai was.

?Where?s a light switch?? Matt whispered.

?I don?t think we should,? Tai whispered back. "The less we touch in here, the better.?

?Hey, Kari, can you do that glowing thing?? TK whispered. ?We could use you as a flashlight!?

?TK,? Matt groaned. ?And why are we whispering, it?s not like anyone?s here.?

?Sorry,? Kari began in a whisper, then laughed. ?Sorry, I tried to use the light already. I guess there'd have to be darkness for the light to fight against, like Machinedramon or something. Izzy?"

?Theoretically, your...?

"For all we know, Machinedramon and a hundred evil Digimon are hanging around here," Gatomon said. "We sure wouldn't be able to hear them. Could we keep it down?"

Suddenly, the lights in the hallway came on, and then, one by one, the lights in each office. "Machinedramon?s not around,? an all-too-familiar female voice said over what sounded like a PA system. "But will I do?"

?Oh, great,? Tai muttered. ?Umm... split up!? Tai said. ?Maybe half takes the central stairway, half takes the one at the end of the hall.?

?And we shouldn?t use the elevators, they might have been sabotaged.? Matt added.

Everyone whose digivolutions were small enough for indoors quickly went into them. Unfortunately, that wasn?t many. The team rounded out at MetalGarurumon, Angemon, Angewomon, and Lillymon.

"Yes, this ought to be interesting," Tai grumbled.

A scratching noise was heard in the ceiling above them, and Angemon, Angewomon, and Lillymon took aim for the source of the sound.

"Wait!" MetalGarurumon said. "She likes to play with her opponents. Let's be careful this time. We should stand back to back so she can't sneak up on us."

They did so. And they waited.

And waited.

And waited.

?I didn?t think she was big on patience,? Agumon said. ?She?s got to come out sooner or later.?

?No, she doesn?t,? Izzy said. ?If she is able to delay us long enough, the gate will close. It is imperative that we keep moving.?

?We?ll find her and keep her busy,? MetalGarurumon said. ?We?ll catch up after you?ve had enough time to get through.?

?Sounds like a plan,? Tai said. ?Let?s go.?

Tai, Agumon, Kari, Matt, and TK ran to the stairway, trying to ignore the skittering sounds from above them. Tai reached for the doorknob.

?Wait, are we going to just open it?? Matt said. ?For all we know she?s right behind it.?

Tai sighed. [i]Here we go again.[/i] He knew the others saw him as always rushing into things, but he figured if it had to be done anyway, there was no point in whining about it. ?We?ve got to go through anyway, and scaring yourself just makes something that should be quick and easy take forever. I?d rather get this over with.?

?Haven?t you learned [i]anything,[/i] Tai? You?ve got to think things through, not just...?

?What?s to think about? It?s a door. We?ve got to go through it.? Tai turned his back on Matt and walked through the door. ?See, nothing. Come on.?

The others, though not sharing his enthusiasm or optimism, followed him through anyway. They kept quiet, listening out for SaberNekomon or any surprises she might have brought with her. Slowly, they began to ascend the stairs.

Once they were halfway up, they heard a rumbling coming from high above.

?What?s that?? Kari wondered.

Like a wave, cats roared around the stairway and pounced on the quintet, sending them tumbling back down again. Tai and Kari were instantly submerged under a sea of fur.

?Ta-aaiiieeeee!? Agumon shrilled as the cats tackled him and began biting into him. Matt and TK didn?t manage to get to their feet before they were brought down as well, hundreds of sharp teeth and claws tearing into them. They fought to pull the cats off, but for each one dislodged, two more took hold. Cats were now filling up the area behind them, sealing off any possible exit. Agumon tried his Pepper Breath, but the cats seemed to anticipate him, and like a school of fish, never failed to part to allow the fireballs to strike empty concrete, and their assault was unabated.

Kari flailed about, trying to get out from under the cats, but as with the others, any she dislodged were soon replaced by more. And yet, she felt that something was wrong, something beyond the obvious wrongness of berserk felines acting as an army. Unfortunately, her captors weren?t giving her much time to think.

?Ga-mmmph!? she tried to call for Gatomon, but the moment she tried to speak, one of the was halfway in her mouth, silencing her. She could hardly even breathe.

?I?m going to... aah!? came Agumon?s pained voice. ?I?m going... to...? The cats weren?t going to let him give a warning. The pain of the creatures tearing at him was such that he could barely think straight, much less warn the others of what he was about to do. He flared brightly with the light of digivolution. [i]Here goes nothing.[/i]

The small yellow lizard began to grow. The cats began to fall away when he was barely twice his original size, and once the immediate danger was gone he tried to slow the digivolving process. ?Run! Everyone get out of here, now!?

The cats were beginning to think better of hanging around, and began to disengage, disappearing into the lower level. Agumon/Greymon tried to position himself so as not to tear the stairwell apart as his transformation continued, though he knew it was inevitable. The Digidestined backed out of the stairwell and onto the floor.

*****

?What?s going on in there?? Angewomon wondered, casting a glance towards the door at the end of the hall. The Digidestined had gone in scant seconds before the sounds began. ?Sounds like... like something?s going on in there. I don?t like it.?

?We have to assume they can handle it. If it was SaberNekomon, they?d call for us.? MetalGarurumon answered.

?What if her plan is to distract us? Keep the ones who can digivolve running around in circles so she can get the others without having to work for it?? Angewomon contested. ?I?m going to go check it out.? She flew towards the doors.

?Wait for us!? Angemon shouted after her. ?We can?t get separated! She could be planning to take us one by one.?

Angewomon continued to glide towards the end of the hall. When there were fifteen yards to go, she heard a crunching sound above her. She barely managed to look up before a foot landed on her back and slammed her to the ground.

?Or maybe my plan is to kick your butts six ways to Sunday,? SaberNekomon said triumphantly as she stomped on Angewomon once more for good measure. ?Starting with her. Say, what?s ?six ways to Sunday? mean, anyway??

?Heaven?s Charm!?

?Not this time, Goldilocks.? SaberNekomon jeered, flipping back out of its way. "You won last time, but I'm not letting you take anything else from me ever again!"

"I didn't take anything from you!" [i]And last time sure didn't feel like victory.[/i] Angewomon lunged at SaberNekomon, not giving her the chance to try anything. This battle [i]would[/i] feel like victory. [i]Because I'm going to strangle that little...[/i] She tackled SaberNekomon low, bringing her to the ground with an "Oof!" Determined not to give her time to recover, she began rapid-fire punching her foe. "What..." (Pow!) "...do you..." (Pow!) "...[i]want[/i] with me?" (Pow!)

SaberNekomon grunted with each hit, but the mask of rage that her face became when faced with Gatomon in any form never wavered. "I want you to die [i]screaming...[/i]" she brought her legs under Angewomon and kicked her off of her. Angewomon flapped her wings to right herself and land on her feet. SaberNekomon leapt at her. Angewomon flung her foot out to catch SaberNekomon in the solar plexus, but SaberNekomon twisted aside and slipped past her, landing behind her.

The instant Angewomon and SaberNekomon were separated by a few feet, MetalGarurumon launched an Ice Wolf Claw at SaberNekomon. SaberNekomon quickly grabbed Angewomon, swinging her in front of the frigid stream of energy and freezing her instantly. ?I?ll kill you once your pals are out of the way. That way I get to take my time.? She let the ice sculpture of Angewomon fall, and leapt back into the ceiling (tearing another hole as she went) as Lillymon and Angemon quickly caught Angewomon to keep her from shattering. MetalGarurumon followed SaberNekomon into the ceiling, but looking around, he saw no one. ?Guys, I don?t see her.?

From the direction Tai?s group had gone came the sounds of creaking and crashing, and the fivesome ran back into the hall. ?Greymon, can you stop it?? Tai said.

?I can?t!? Greymon shouted back. ?You?ll have to take the main stairwell!?

As MetalGarurumon was momentarily distracted by the happenings outside, SaberNekomon tackled him from behind, bringing the wolf Digimon down through the ceiling and onto the floor, giggling all the way. "Gotcha! And you Megas are supposed to be so all-powerful. Chrome Digizoid soup cans, anyone?"

"Hand of Fate!"

"Flower Cannon!"

SaberNekomon backflipped and let the blasts pass under her. "Tigris Wave!" She flung her attack while still upside down. It would hit Angemon and Lillymon at knee level were they dumb enough to remain on the ground. Which, of course, they wouldn't. So she flung a Tigris Wave higher in the air, the better to let them blunder into it while avoiding the first. Her foes turned sideways in midair, letting it go above them and join the other Tigris Wave in exploding at the end of the hall. "You [i]have[/i] been doing this a while. This might not be so dull after all."

MetalGarurumon fired an energy beam from his eyes, trying to get his foe into the deadly center of his field of vision, but she ducked and flipped and whirled and always managed to stay just an inch away from it. The crosshairs superimposed over his vision were always on the verge of locking onto her but never exactly doing so. Her movements fit no pattern for his targeting systems to follow. Finally, SaberNekomon leapt back to the ceiling. "Not bad, Fido! Now..." suddenly her voice was behind him, "Roll over!" A heavy kick struck him in the side, causing him to leave an indentation in the wall next to him. SaberNekomon grinned and looked ready to gloat. "I'll bet you..."

Angemon and Lillymon seized her moment of hesitation. A ball of green energy and a beam of brilliant white struck SaberNekomon in the back of the head. "Ugh!" she grunted, and spun around, shouting "Hey-y!" in annoyance as she performed the hand signal she'd seen one of the human drivers use, and flung a Tigris Wave their way.

MetalGarurumon pounced on her from the side, causing SaberNekomon to land painfully on her back. Or at least, he hoped it was painful. He pinned her arms to the floor with his paws. [i]Now, which attack to use to incapacitate her but leave her able to talk?[/i]

SaberNekomon laughed innocently as she pushed against the Cyborg Digimon's front paws, slowly but surely raising them off of her. One final shove freed her arms. "Not on the first date!" She sat up quickly, gave MetalGarurumon a quick kiss on the snout, and then rammed her fist into his jaw as hard as she knew how. MetalGarurumon landed on his back, and SaberNekomon noted with disgust that her hand was bleeding. [i]If I have to wash this outfit [u]again[/u]...[/i]

She prepared to hit MetalGarurumon with her strongest Tigris Wave, but a soft but strong arm caught her own. Lillymon was smiling brightly and pointing a cannon in her face. A cannon that sure didn't look as big a few minutes ago. Lillymon hit her with two blasts, both point-blank to the face. SaberNekomon saw stars as she felt herself slam into a wall, and she heard Angemon say "Hand of Fate!" She instinctively moved aside and felt the heat from the beam's narrow miss. Her vision was slowly clearing.[i]I can still smell them, though.[/i] She took a swing in the direction of the sweet floral scent, and was rewarded with an "Oof!" The smell of feathers was off to the side, and the sound of movement told the tale of where her next victim was. "Tigris Wave!" she called triumphantly as she swung an energy arc in his direction. Her vision was finally clear enough for her to make out Angemon ducking. The arc caught a wing, and Angemon grunted in pain but didn't let it stop him. He, Lillymon, and MetalGarurumon prepared to bring on the attack. SaberNekomon wished she could keep playing, wished she could take the challenge of dodging their attacks and beating them. It would have been quite a game. But she had to deal with the group ascending the stairs.

"Just sit tight, or make some pathetic attempt to flee for your lives, or something like that," SaberNekomon said disinterestedly. "I'll be back in a sec after I've dealt with your buddies."
SaberNekomon hopped back into the hole she?d made in the ceiling. Lillymon, the closest, followed, but didn?t see her inside.

?This is going to be one of those nights,? Lillymon said to herself.
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  • 2 weeks later...
Go, SaberNekomon! I'm an idiot, aren't I, rooting for the villain? But Miko made her point from the start, complaining about how Gatomon had stolen everything she ever held dear to herself.

[QUOTE]I'm not letting you take anything else from me ever again![/QUOTE]

Did Sabernekomon have anything left for Gatomon/Angewomon to steal, after Kari? *shrugs* Good to have a well-portrayed character as a semi-villain. I like that kitty. Can I have her?
*gets killed by Kitsunemon*
Hey! I'll get around to writing a story for you later, got it?
Kitsunemon: I thought I killed you! Poison Kick! Vixen Snap! *kills Sheikahmon again*
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  • 3 weeks later...
Gotta say it. I have half an urge to get SaberNekomon involved in one of my fanfics. I'd change her name to SabreNekomon (partly because I think Sabre looks cooler in a Digimon's name, partly so it won't look like complete plagarism {Kitsunemon says: Oooh, long word, Sheik.:laugh:}), but, anyway, could I please "borrow" SaberNekomon for one of my own fanfics?
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