Powers of Crests: Passion of Fire
Tai listened in silence as his friends engaged in conversation about the crests. He cherished listening to their voices, the voices he grew accustomed to through the hardships in Digiworld. He gazed upward and finally noticed that the sun was setting, the sunlight dimming as the night crept in.
Kim, too, noticed that, always perceptive and sensitive to the surroundings. She acknowledged the kids, “It’s getting dark. Let us go to sleep. We need our energy to move on tomorrow.” As always, Tai was the first to volunteer to keep watch. Matt was the next, then Kim, and the last was Joe. As the friends went to sleep, Tai took shelter under a low-hanging tree, resting against the gray, smooth trunk. Agumon sat by his side. He must be tired, for his eyes drooped bit by bit. Tai would rather sleep, but he felt he wanted some time alone to think, unusually for the athletic, impatient boy.
Tai reached in his blue shirt and drew out his tiny crest. The crest was polished brass with a glass screen. A circular, eight-pointed star was cleaved in the orange-hued tag under the screen. That was his crest’s symbol - the Crest of Courage.
“I wonder what is the purpose of the Crest of Courage. What can it do?” he almost whispered to himself.
Agumon looked up at his friend. “It helped me to digivolve into Metalgreymon, remember?”
Tai glanced to the small, dinosaur-like digimon. He didn’t realize he spoke out loud. “I know, but what can it do for me? It must be a reason for me to possess the Crest of Courage.”
Agumon gazed at the crest and shrugged. “I don’t know, Tai. I don’t know. Maybe someday you will find out.” He closed his eyes and leaned against Tai. Soon, he was breathing deeply.
Tai sighed and let his crest drop to his chest.
What he didn’t know was that someone was watching him from far away. Far away, in a dark, stone castle, in a shadowy chamber, wrapped in his cloak of darkness, stood Myotismon. He watched the unsuspected brown-haired boy from a small portal he used to see far places. He looked blank, yet his eyes of deep midnight blue held such rage that no one of his minions would risk their pitiful lives to face him.
The kids are learning about the crests, Myotismon silently thought. They might try to find the hidden power behind the crests. I must not let them do it. For if they have the hidden power, they surely will defeat me . . . I must destroy them! His midnight eyes blazed maliciously, narrowing into slits. Starting with the Master of Courage. He is powerful, dangerous already. But how to destroy him?
Abruptly, Myotismon smiled with pure evil. With his black magic, he called on one of his loyal henchmen with a silent command.
Obedient, a digimon stepped in the room, but because of the darkness, he was not seen. Myotismon always knew he was present, always near whenever he commands him.
“Yes, my lord?” The digimon responded, his voice crackling like the breaking of flames among burning wood.
Myotismon raised a hand, a long, slender finger pointing to Tai in the portal. “See this boy? I want you to destroy him at once. Never mind the others. I shall take care of them later. But that Master . . . he is the leader and must be destroyed immediately.”
He sensed the digimon bowed deeply, loyally. “As you command, my lord,” came the crackling voice. He turned and left the room, leaving no trace of his presence.
Myotismon’s eyes turned to Tai, who was watching the night sky with that passionate eyes. But Myotismon was not easily fooled by false appearances. The boy was dangerous, and soon he will be gone forever. Myotismon smirked darkly.
* * *
The jungle was filled with the nature sounds of animals and birds, but along with them, came the new voices of the Digidestined as they weaved through the trees and bushes. They were silent with the occasions of a brief chat between two humans or two digimon to lighten the mood. Tai, the determined leader, pushed them on, wanting to be somewhere from Myotismon as far as possible. They were on an ascending ground, already tired from the stress of the steepness. Tai was the only one who encouraged them over his shoulder.
Soon, they found themselves out of the jungle on a high, wide cliff. The kids took a look around in awe. Areas of pink and green trees spread for miles and miles, and right below the cliff, a vast, slow-movingriver flowed.
As the kids gazed in amazement, Tai turned to Tentomon, who was hovering near Izzy. “Tentomon, is there a way down?”
Tentomon was a jackpot of dependable information, just like Izzy. But this time, the beetle-like digimon gazed around with a lost expression in his pale green eyelid-less eyes. Tai crossed his arms. “Don’t you know?”
Tentomon glanced at him. He spread his claws in an apologetic gesture. “I’m sorry, Tai. This land is new to me.” He turned to follow after Izzy, who was walking to see the view better.
“Just relax, Tai,” said Matt from behind. “Let us rest for a while.”
The tense tan eyes met the distant gray-blue eyes for a moment. “We must move on. Myotismon is probably following us.”
“We aren’t hearing anything from him for a day.”
Tai frowned and opened his mouth to say something, but Mimi’s voice cut through. “My, what a beautiful view!” He turned to see Mimi, Sora, Kim, and TK standing near the cliff’s edge with their digimon near. Joe and Izzy were sitting down, resting their feet.
Tai grunted. “We don’t have time to sightsee, guys!”
All looked in astonishment at his sharp words. Matt putted his hand on Tai’s arm. “Yo, chill, man.”
Tai jerked his shoulder from the touch. “You chill, man! Don’t you realize every minute we rest, we are in growing danger!”
Matt scowled, his eyes darkening, his lips a tight line. Tai glared back, challenging him to say something. The boys didn’t do anything, for Kim stepped in between the hot stares.
“That’s enough, guys,” Kim said serenely. Tai knew Kim well; she never speaks out loud to get attention, but the impression she has on her words always turn heads. Matt’s eyes seemed to soften at Kim’s words, then abruptly turned away, strolling to his little brother. Tai grimaced, then Kim held on his arm, pulling him to one side, away fromthe group.
Kim looked up at Tai with the empathic eyes. “Look, Tai, I know that we must keep going, but look at us.” Almost as if she was guiding him, Tai looked over his shoulders. He saw that his friends looked thinner than before, looking drained. The digimon were also that; they shared life forces, so they felt the same. Even Agumon, who was always eager and energetic, stood in silence by Tai, his green eyes watching the view. As Tai studied the group, Kim spoke,”We need food and rest. We are not helping each other if we are starved and fatigued.”
Tai sighed with weariness. He didn’t realize how tired he was until now. He better watch his health or he would faint from the strain. He would be no good to his friends if he pushed himself too far. He turned to his best friend and nodded once.
Kim grinned warmly. “Good old Rascal.”
Tai smiled back. He forgot all about their old nicknames to each other. “Rogue,” he said and held her left hand in his left. Kim held his right hand in her right. A simple handshake that held fond memories. Grinning, they went back to the group. Sora and Mimi were sitting down, now resting their feet. Kim went to them. Joe and Izzy joined with Matt and TK, gazing at the beauty for a long time from the darkness that cloaked them since the friends separated. Tai walked up to them, also enjoyingthe view.
Izzy gazed upward and squinted his brownish black eyes against the sun. “Hey, what is that?” All looked up and saw a tiny dot jetting across the blue sky, leaving behind a thin, cloudy streak. The dot looked like a fiery shooting star. Quickly, Tai pulled out his trusty mini-telescope and gazed through it to the star.
“Is it a comet?” said TK, his small voice full with innocent curiosity.
“Probably a meteor,” guessed Joe, sounding logical.
Tai shook his head at the guesses. “No, it is not either of those, but I am not sure what it is.” He gazed harder. “It looks like a ball of fire - no, wait! It’s a digimon!” He lowered his telescope, his eyes wide. “And it is coming straight for us!”
The boys dove for the ground, burying their heads from the sudden intense heat radiating from the hovering digimon. He landed on his knees, waiting for a second to calm himself from the glide, then stood. He was tall, a giant, manlike. He wore dark pants, barefoot, with pale red skin. He had extreme eyes, the color of cold ashes and red-orange fire as hair on his head.
“Phyrimon?” Tentomon regarded. “It’s rare for him to leave his lair, for he is not neighborly. He is one of Myotismon’s minions.”
Tai gazed at the fire digimon with strange, new fear. He doesn’t understand why was he feeling frightened, but the sight of Phyrimon shook him with terror.
Phyrimon’s eyes swept over the kids, muttering lowly, “Where is the Master?” Suddenly, his gaze laid on Tai, and the eyes blazed for an instant, like dying flames poked back to life. “You.” He pulled back a pale fist and lunged it toward the shaken Tai. Agumon, digivolve into Greymon!
His horned head lowered, Greymon rammed into Phyrimon, sending him rolling into the jungle. Phyrimon shook his groggy head and stood up, his eyes blazing with ire at the giant golden dinosaur.
“Go, Gabumon!” ordered Matt from Tai’s side. “You, too, Iyumon!” Kim commanded. Gabumon, digivolve into Garurumon!
Iyumon, digivolve into Rianmon!
Garurumon bared his fangs and howled out, “Howling Blaster!” A beam of blue fire soared out of his mouth toward Phyrimon. The fire had no effect on the fire digimon, perhaps because of his fiery nature, thought Tai. Phyrimon kicked the blue wolf in the flanks with such force that Garurumon flew backward, crashing against a tree, groaning with pain.
“Garurumon!” gasped Matt.
Rianmon lurched her powerful, spiked tail toward Phyrimon. Moving as a flash, he grabbed the tail in midair, not even flinching at the poisoned spikes digging in his flesh, and, like an unwanted toy, threw Rianmon right at Greymon. Abruptly, they glowed for an instant, and de-digivolved into Iyumon and Agumon, too weak to continue.
Phyrimon turned his head to gaze at Tai, who was unmoving during the battle. “I must destroy the Master.”
Tai shook in horror as Phyrimon silently walked toward him. But then, Sora’s voice broke through, “Run!”, before she pulled on his shirt. No longer trusting himself, Tai followed Sora, Yokomon in her arms, toward the jungle, feeling the cold ashes eyes on him.
Tentomon, digivolve into Kabuterimon!
Kabuterimon hovered in front the Phyrimon, blocking his vision from the running kids. “Electro Shocker!” He opened his claws, and a sphere of blue-white lightning thrust at Phyrimon. He dodged, and the sphere flew in the distance before exploded in midair.
Matt grabbed on Kim’s hand and pulled her close to him. “Kim, take TK to safety! We will handle this!”
TK shook his head, holding on his brother’s hand. “No, Matt!”
“Listen to me!” Matt gazed down to TK with the intense eyes. “Go withKim now!”
Hesitant but obedient, TK ran with the trustworthy Kim toward the jungle, away from Phyrimon. Patamon took a serious glance at Matt before soared after them. Matt turned to Joe, Izzy, and Mimi. “Ready, guys?”
Gomamon, digivolve into Ikkakumon!
Palmon, digivolve into Togemon!
In a defending line, Ikkakumon, Togemon, and Garurumon faced Phyrimon as Kabuterimon hovered above. They were trying to draw his attention from Tai, Sora, Kim, and TK, who were entering the jungle with their digimon. Too late, the others realized that they were at the edge of the cliff.