Digimon Adventure ND Book Two: The Terror of Tyranterramon - Chapter Two

I wrote Manipulamon Reins a lot like an adventure story. I wrote this book very much like a Shonen series, with "moar powuh!" moments and overcoming enemies with determination, and learning the new technique, and the long fight that lasts the entire narrative, and all of those familiar tropes. In a Shonen story there is always that moment when a new threat arrives and the heroes hit him/them with the thing that beat the last guy and utterly fail. That's what this chapter is. Maybe it's a spoiler, but in this chapter InfernoKnightmon, the guy who tanked a hit capable of burning through an impenetrable wall, and then killed a living extinction level threat with a single attack, is barely a match for Tyranterramon, who isn't at full strength yet. This is the chapter where the heroes realize that they will have to reach a new level of power to defeat their foe. They just have no idea yet what that is, since their previous "next level" doesn't do the job.

Chapter Two

Tyranterramon vs. InfernoKnightmon

I looked back over at Tyranterramon. Sarah was right, he was beginning to move. The sphere of light that surrounded him cracked, and then shattered, and the massive creature fell toward the water below. But his fall ended a good twenty feet from the surface of the water, and he hung there, hovering in our direction.

“Okay,” I said, “he couldn’t do that before.” Behind me BlackColtmon spoke up for the first time since being hit full force by Tyranterramon’s attack. “I’m okay to fight again,” he said.

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded. He wasn’t okay. He’d been hurt worse than any of the Digimon in this fight so far, and he was really pushing himself to keep going. I could hear it is the trembling of his voice. But I needed him. I saw only one way to end this once and for all. “Then let’s get to it,” I said. I plugged my Digivice and Digiplayer together and inserted the Neo Crest of Friendship as it changed form, becoming a disk. I brandished the compound device and called, “Initiate Warp Digivolution!”

BlackColtmon began to glow and rose into the air, Tyranterramon growing ever closer, “BlackColtmon, Warp Digivolve to! Knighthramon!” BlackColtmon was suddenly in his Ultimate form, shuffling alongside us on shifting ice. He gritted his teeth and flew straight at the advancing foe while the other Digimon landed on an outcropping nearby, letting us humans get down from their backs. Knighthramon was sent flying by a massive backhand, but he guarded with his shield and recovered just as the other Digimon rejoined the fight.

But before even one of the Digimon could get off an attack Tyranterramon raised a fist and punched, sending ripples through the air, sending the Digimon tumbling through the air, out of control.

I scrutinized the foe, “He couldn’t do that before either.”

I pulled my Digicomp Handheld from my pocket and scanned Tyranterramon. His power was great, but it was in flux. There was no way he could focus it well enough to control it. I’d guessed right, he was vulnerable. My plan would work, but I didn’t know how to make it work again.

That’s when the battle began again. Tyranterramon looked like he was fighting a hangover, but despite that he was remarkably composed. TechnoWeremon and MetalBrauntomon were the first to approach, hoping to use their greater mass to throw Tyranterramon off balance. But they were too slow. Even dazed, this new Tyranterramon was fast enough to deflect their charge and send them tumbling yet again. It was then that Tyranterramon suddenly sprung forward, faster than I ever could have thought possible, swinging his fist in a wide arch, slinging energy outward along its path. MetalDragonterramon and Knighthramon were able to avoid the attack by the skin of their teeth, but the remaining Digimon were thrown to the ground where they all five de-Digivolved and collapsed. I hadn’t even had time to think!

“He’s much stronger now,” said Knighthramon. As he spoke I noted that it was the first time that I’d ever heard anything resembling fear in his voice.

I was shocked speechless. I scanned Tyranterramon again. The turbulent data was beginning to settle down, and his power was rising even further. I’d never expected Tyranterramon’s power to rise so much, or so quickly! Manipulamon had been all about manipulating energy, and not even he could have done this. I had to act, so I concentrated and regained my composure. If I’d learned one thing from my time in the Digital World, it was how to keep a clear head.

“Hold him, guys,” I said, “just for a few minutes.”

I ran toward the Digimon who had fallen to Tyranterramon’s attack, just as my two Digimon resumed their assault on the immense foe, and slid to a stop next to Coltmon, who was just beginning to rise, shaking off the force of the aftereffects of the strike.

“Coltmon,” I asked, “can they do it again? Can my Digimon become InfernoKnightmon?”

“I don’t know,” he said, looking from me to my Digimon, watching them weave hopelessly around Tyranterramon’s head, attacking when they could, but mostly just struggling to remain out of the path of his wild attacks. “When Digimon Digivolve they sometimes gain new knowledge, much like how you Digidestined will know how to use your powers in times of crisis. When I was MechAngemon I knew that I could give my power to you to unlock a new power. In this form I don’t understand it at all. You’ll have to use your best judgment.”

“You have to be careful, though,” said Mechmon, who had already been back on his feet when I’d reached the group. “If you try to flood them with power, you might overload MetalDragonterramon and Knighthramon and cancel the forms they’re in now.”

“I-I don’t know-.”

“Do what you think is best,” I heard Jen say. I turned. She and the others had joined me and the Digimon. “Maybe it’ll mean we can’t fight anymore, but we all trust you. If you feel that it’ll work, then go for it.”

They all nodded, except for Jeremy, who seemed more skeptical. This gave me pause, but it was at that moment that MetalDragonterramon was hit by a glancing blow from one of Tyranterramon’s punches and knocked away. Knighthramon caught him, and the two curved back around to regroup with the rest of us.

“We aren’t enough,” said MetalDragonterramon.

“He doesn’t seem to lose strength as the battle goes on,” said Knighthramon. “We could fight him forever and never get anywhere like this.”

I made a split decision, though I really didn’t feel anymore like I had much of a choice. “Then we’ll just have to give this everything we’ve got,” I said. “No holding back, no matter what. MetalDragonterramon, Knighthramon, let’s show Tyranterramon the next level of power!”

My Digimon understood what I meant. As I spoke MetalDragonterramon and Knighthramon flew close together and hung in the air, side by side. I brandished my Digiplayer and Digivice, loaded with both the Digidisk of Courage and the Digidisk of Friendship and called “Initiate DNA Digivolution!”

Energy surged from me to my Digimon. I held my breath, but there was no need. My Digimon accepted the energy, and they began to change.

“MetalDragonterramon!” The dragon became a solid form of light.

“Knighthramon!” He became a form of light as well.

The two lights converged and took the form of a nearly twenty-foot-tall humanoid warrior with a sword over his right hand and a cannon over his left. Four opposable metal claws ringed the barrel of the cannon. The figure had a lizard-like tail and broad draconic wings. On his helm were three back swept spikes, “DNA Digivolve to, InfernoKnightmon!”

As my two Digimon were merging, Tyranterramon seemed to awaken from his stupor, finally shaking off the shock of absorbing the core. Upon seeing the figure that he was to face next, his eyes grew wide and he lunged at his opponent. But the considerably smaller InfernoKnightmon slammed into his foe’s stomach. Tyranterramon stumbled back, but he managed to regain his footing before his opponent. Tyranterramon locked his hands together and hammered InfernoKnightmon in the back. He was sent sprawling to the ground where he hit so hard that he bounced back up into the air. Tyranterramon kicked, catching InfernoKnightmon in the face, sending him flying.

But the smaller Digimon was strong, and considerably more agile that the foe. He recovered, flipping backward and landing square on his feet. He charged at his foe at full speed and thrust his sword. Tyranterramon swung his smaller left fist, deflecting the blade, and came in with a right hook, which was deflected by InfernoKnightmon’s cannon arm. InfernoKnightmon carried through and made to slash Tyranterramon’s chest with his claws, but Tyranterramon jumped back, well out of his foe’s reach.

Tyranterramon charged straight at his opponent as soon as his feet had once again touched the ground. InfernoKnightmon flapped his wings and flew at full speed toward his foe. Tyranterramon raised his right fist. InfernoKnightmon raised his claw. The two Digimon punched, but just before fist met claw, InfernoKnightmon fired several cannon bolts, which impacted Tyranterramon’s fist. The force of the cannon bolts gave InfernoKnightmon just enough power to overcome Tyranterramon’s attack. Tyranterramon lost his footing. Seizing the opportunity, InfernoKnightmon swung his sword, unleashing a wave of heat and flames across Tyranterramon’s chest. Tyranterramon fell back into the edge of the water and fell into a sitting position, dazed. The flesh of his chest actually showed damage: a long horizontal gash which still smoldered.

“Now to finish this!” InfernoKnightmon called, raising his cannon above his head. He summoned a massive orb of energy into the air just above the tips of his claws. Then he aimed straight at the dazed Tyranterramon’s head and called “Ultimate Stati-Shot!”

He fired, hitting Tyranterramon dead on, causing him to fall onto his back into the water, utterly defeated. I ran to my Digimon’s side, but InfernoKnightmon signaled for me to stay back as he stared at the place where Tyranterramon had fallen. A shot from his cannon froze the water for a hundred yards out from the shore, sealing Tyranterramon in place, but almost as soon as the water had turned to ice, it shattered, and Tyranterramon rose again, his face and chest scorched, his face still smoking.

“It seems that I underestimated you Digidestined. Even with the power from the Ocean Region Core fully integrated into my matrix I am unsure whether I can overcome your full power. But that won’t be the case for long. I will keep growing stronger!”

He raised his fist. InfernoKnightmon aimed his cannon, but before he could react Tyranterramon punched the ground, through the turbulent water at his feet. Energy erupted from the point of impact, tearing open the sky. Tyranterramon jumped through the rift and it disappeared. I scanned for him using the Digicomp Handheld. He was once again over a mile away, and the portal, even more unstable than the last, closed almost before Tyranterramon was through, leaving us no opportunity to follow.

“We have to follow him,” I said, turning to my Digimon, and I was met with a shock. He had split into his two Baby II forms, and they had collapsed.

“The Digimon are all too tired Boss,” said Jen. “As much as I hate to say it, it’ll have to wait.”

I looked desperately from one face to the next, looking into the eyes of every human and Digimon alike. The only Digimon with any strength left to fight was TechnoPupmon, and he alone couldn’t hope to win. She was right. Our enemy had escaped, and there was nothing that we could do about it except rest, and hope that we had better luck at our next encounter.

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