Not much to say about this chapter. We learn that the Digimushrooms, the same things that will serve as provisions, will also be the health potions for this adventure, there is a new Digivolution, and we meet a new ally, but otherwise that's really it. No biggie.
Chapter Four
Versus Birdramon;
Spread Your Wings, BrauntoPhoenixmon!
Spread Your Wings, BrauntoPhoenixmon!
We had been traveling for about forty, maybe fifty minutes when we reached the cliff face. It was at least ninety feet high with a ledge about two-thirds of the way up. According to Dokugamon, Birdramon’s nest was up there. Jen, Sarah and I slid down off of Dokugumon’s back where we had been riding (turns out that if your feet start to hurt bad enough, giant spiders stop looking so freaky).
“This is it,” said Dokugumon, “Birdramon’s home region.”
“You said that Birdramon is a big fiery red bird, right?” Jen asked
“Yeah,” I said, “that’s what the analyzer said. I don’t see her here.”
“She’ll be back,” said Dokugumon, “but in the meantime I suggest that we rest and eat. Birdramon is a powerful foe.”
So we found a nice flat space with a clear view of the cliff to sit and take a rest. I opened up my makeshift sack and passed around some mushrooms from our rations. Jen opened up her jacket/sack and removed several bruised and slightly battered apples, passing them around as well. Sarah gathered some twigs and Amanda gathered some grass and leaves, piling them up. Then BlackColtmon lit them with a burst of black flame that turned bright orange as soon as they hit the makeshift fire pit. Soon we had a good fire going and a good meal of roast meat-apple-kabobs to eat.
“Mmm,” said Sarah taking a bite, “mine tastes like steak and pork chops!”
“I got hotdogs and sausage,” said Amanda, talking with her mouth full.
"Ohh!" said Sarah. "Trade?" And the two of them quickly swapped lunches.
“The mushrooms aren’t bad either,” said Ponymon. She picked up a mushroom in her mouth and went over to lay down between Sarah and Coltmon.
I went to take a bite of my own kabob, but before I could, a small reptilian head shot over my shoulder and snatched it away.
“Serpentmon!” I whined. “Give it back!” I lunged at him, but he sprung out of the way and I fell face first into the dirt. Everyone laughed, and for a little while everything was great. Peaceful.
And then Birdramon showed up, and she wasn’t alone. There were two other Digimon with her. They looked like giant bees with red manes. I aimed the handheld at one of them, and they registered as Flymon, Adult Level Insectoid Digimon that launch their poisonous stingers like missiles. The poison plus the ability to fly gave them a noticeable advantage over us in a group.
“Three of them?” Said Jen, worry apparent in her tone of voice.
“Yeah,” I said, understanding her apprehension, “but we promised to free Birdramon, and that’s what we’re going to do, no matter how many of them there are.” I turned to Dokugumon and asked, “Do you know if the Flymon are being controlled or not?”
“Swarm insects like Kuwagamon, Snimon, and yes, Flymon, are all willings. They are social insects that make decisions as a whole community, or not at all. Plus, I recognize those Flymon as two of the Digimon with Okuwamon when he tagged us.”
“Well,” I said, “at least we know that we can go all out against them then. That should make things a little easier.”
“I hope you’re right,” said Jen, still not convinced. I really should have listened to her.
“Just watch,” I said, “this’ll be over in no time.” I looked over at my Digimon, “Let’s go. Initiate Digivolution!”
“Serpentmon, Digivolve to! Dragonterramon!”
“BlackColtmon, Digivolve to! BlackStaliamon!”
“Take out the Flymon first!” I said. “Keep them from stopping us from freeing Birdramon!”
I yelled my instructions to my Digimon as they charged, using their momentum to run up the face of the cliff. Dragonterramon let out his trademark roar, just before leaping onto Birdramon’s ledge. BlackStaliamon followed.
“Terra Flame,” called Dragonterramon, expelling a massive stream of flame at the two Flymon. The flames would have incinerated the smaller Digimon pretty easily, but before they could hit their mark, Birdramon flew in between the flames and her Insectoid allies, shielding them with her massive red wings.
Birdramon spread her wings, flinging the flames away. Her allies emerged from behind her wings and launched their stingers straight at Dragonterramon. He slashed one out of the air with his claws, but the second caught him in the arm, a paralyzing toxin pumping into his body, bringing him to a near dead stop. The two stingers immediately began to regrow.
BlackStaliamon was up next. He tried to slam one of the Flymon with his large, oversized hooves, but the Flymon simply pulled up and away, dodging the attack. They made sure that they were out of BlackStaliamon’s reach and stopped to release their stingers again, but BlackStaliamon leaped gracefully out of the way. He ran a short way up the cliff and leaped back toward his foes, while Dragonterramon, unsteady on his feet, tripped and slid down the cliff face and collapsed at my feet. “The mushrooms,” he said, “they can help a Digimon recover his strength!”
I grabbed the remaining mushrooms from behind me, beside the fire, and shoved them into Dragonterramon’s mouth. He chewed, swallowed, and began to rise, his strength already returning.
“Meteor Wing!” came a booming voice from above. I looked up and saw fireballs raining down from Birdramon’s wings, directed toward the only one of my Digimon still actively fighting. BlackStaliamon avoided one fireball, then a second, but the third destroyed the ledge where he would have landed. With nothing under foot he rolled all the way down the face of the cliff, landing hard at the bottom.
“BlackStaliamon,” I asked, “you okay?”
“Yes,” BlackStaliamon answered as he got back to his feet, “I’ll be alright. But there’s no way that two grounded Digimon can defeat three flying Digimon. They just have too big an advantage.”
“You may be right,” I said. I tried to think of a way to turn the situation around, but before I could, Birdramon launched her attack again.
“Look out!” I cried, thinking that the shot was meant for the Digimon. They saw something I didn’t.
“She’s not aiming for us,” said BlackStaliamon, “she’s aiming for you!”
My team and I turned and ran and dove out of the way. All except for Amanda, who was frozen in fear.
Everything seemed to slow down. The fireballs fell toward my young cousin, and their was nothing I could do to save her. Chickomon jumped up, trying to shield her from harm, and something amazing happened. Amanda’s Digivice came online.
Amanda removed her Digivice from her waist, determination chasing the fear from her face, and she held it up to her Digimon and called, “Initiate Digivolution!”
Chickomon grew into a massive, full sized brontosaurus with tree-trunk-thick legs and a twenty-foot-long tail and neck. Two streams of flames erupted from his shoulders, wrapping around him and shielding him and Amanda from Birdramon’s attack. “Chickomon, Digivolve to!” the flames from his shoulders retracted back, forming two massive orange-feathered wings. The collar with the feather in it became a ring of feathers resting a few feet down his neck from his head, ablaze with phoenix fire, “BrauntoPhoenixmon!”
“Wow,” said Amanda, “you got really big.”
“Yes,” said BrauntoPhoenixmon, “and much more powerful. Now we have a fighting chance against our winged opponents!”
BrauntoPhoenixmon flapped his massive wings and lifted off of the ground. He shot up the cliff side, followed closely by Dragonterramon and BlackStaliamon, and slammed into Birdramon, carrying her into the air and away from the Flymon. Dragonterramon reached the ledge moments later and dug his claws into the rock. BlackStaliamon leaped up onto Dragonterramon’s tail.
Dragonterramon swung his tail upward just as BlackStaliamon leaped skyward. The tail acted as a springboard, giving the leap a huge boost in height and speed. BlackStaliamon slammed his hooves straight into a Flymon, blowing it to digital bits, fell, and landed with his back to the remaining foe.
The second Flymon launched his stinger straight at BlackStaliamon’s back, but Dragonterramon leaped up over his ally and slashed the stinger out of the sky with his claws. Then he skidded along the stone, launching flames from his mouth. Flymon tried to dodge, but he was caught by one of the flames and burned up.
Meanwhile, BrauntoPhoenixmon and Birdramon rolled around in the air, kicking, clawing, and slamming into each other. BrauntoPhoenixmon was slower and turned like a rock with wings, but he wasn't trying to out fly his foe, he was trying to buy time while he tried to spot her M-Tag. Finally he caught sight of it on Birdramon’s back and maneuvered around her. “Dino Fire!” he called, and the flames around his wings extended outward, wrapping Birdramon with rings of fire. The rings tightened, burning the tag to ash. Birdramon fell unconscious and fell from the sky, only to be caught by Dragonterramon, who was waiting below.
The Digimon un-Digivolved and we rushed to Birdramon’s side, ready to offer whatever support we could.
“It was horrible,” said Birdramon, “like being trapped inside my own head. Manipulamon made me tag dozens of fighters. He used me as a tagger because of my ability to fly. I can cover more ground than other Digimon. Those Flymon with me were the only members of Okuwamon's tagging force that were fast enough to keep up with me. I don’t know what Manipulamon is doing all of this for, but he has to be stopped!”
“Don’t worry,” I said, “because we’re going to free everyone that Manipulamon has under his control. All you have to do is lead the way.”
“Oh, no,” said Birdramon, “you can’t do that! You were brought here to our world because you are the only ones who can destroy Manipulamon. It’s the only way to save everyone!”
“She’s right,” Dokugumon agreed, “you worry about Manipulamon, and we’ll worry about finding allies.”
“Are you sure?” asked Ponymon. “I mean, we only just released you.”
“Yeah,” said Jen, “if you two go now you could be tagged again!”
“Don’t worry about us,” said Birdramon, a reassuring, almost motherly tone to her voice, “just worry about fulfilling your destiny. After all, once you succeed, none of us will have to worry about being tagged ever again.”
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