Summary: The door to Dukemon was closedàbut Takato has many open windows to choose from.
Open Windows
First Window: Glory to the Demon Monster
ôD-damn it.ö Takato grunted at the pain. He had his arms extended, as if he were pushing against something. It must have been really heavy to hurt him like that.
But that was impossible; there was nothing there. The boy was pushing against empty air.
WasnÆt he?
It seemed so, but things were not always what they seemed. Ahead of him, further down the street, two monsters clashed.
One was an impossibly huge Boar. He had three red horns and two monstrously huge tusks that were each capped with gold. His body was almost completely covered in shaggy brown fur.
The other was an enormous reptilian cyborg. He stood many stories tall, his upper body and jaw covered in machinery. If one looked at both him and the boy, theyÆd notice something strange.
They were in the exact same positions.
ôMegaloGrowmonà!ö The boy forced out. ôPleaseànot another step backà!ö
The red beast roared his agreement and together they strained against the beast.
But it was like pushing against a mountain. No matter how hard they tried, the result was the same.
The boy and the beast screamed with exertion and pain as they were pushed back. The boar buckled and twisted and pushed against them and they lost their grip on its tusks for just a moment.
But it was enough.
ôTreasure Wheel!ö The beast cried, opening his mouth.
Takato would have cursed if he had effort to spare.
He didnÆt.
He and his partner were well acquainted with this attack.
The Pig Deva would fire a ball of energy from his mouth, but it was more complicated than that.
Blue balls bind, red balls cause damage, and yellow balls can transport. The Pig also uses Green balls on himself; they seemed to heal him.
Takato wasnÆt sure which was more dangerous, but they all required focus.
Noàthat wasnÆt true. He knew which were the most dangerous.
Blue and Yellow.
When the Red balls hit, it hurts so bad. It feels like being burnt alive; he can feel his flesh burning, his blood boiling, his muscles twisting in painà! It hurts so much that he wants to fall to his knees and thank God when itÆs over.
But that didnÆt matter.
Green could heal VikaralamonÆs wounds. It couldnÆt be expressed in wordsàit felt likeàto see all their hard work fade away like smoke before their very eyes!
But that didnÆt matter.
If they were knocked down, theyÆd just get back up. If their work disappeared, theyÆd just carve it into their enemy anew.
But Blue and Yellowà!
It was the same every time.
Blue would bind them, leave them open, trap them in one place. It was like their bodies turned to lead.
And Vikaralamon would just walk away. Like they didnÆt matter. Like they were nothing.
But that didnÆt matter.
Their pride was meaningless. It had been crushed to pieces long ago. What mattered was the city.
And the people in it.
Takato didnÆt look to the side of the road, where evidence of the DevaÆs destruction stood like a monument.
He didnÆt want to see the blood anymore.
HeÆd seen so much blood today; they were evacuating the city, but it was hard to do, especially with this damn Pig tearing up buildings and roads and everything else.
But they could struggle out of the Blue Wheels. It hurt, and it hurt more every time they did it, but they could. It felt like they were straining themselves until they broke, butà
But that didnÆt matter.
But those Yellow Wheel! They couldnÆt fight them. TheyÆd swallow MegaloGrowmon up in a flash of light and put him on the other side of the city. He had his speed cards with him today, fortunately, so his partner always returned as quickly as possible, butà
It still took time.
And while he was gone, Takato was here. And he could do nothing but watch as the Deva tore up his city.
And heÆd watched. HeÆd seen people die in pain, in fear, standing courageously, begging for their lives, crying, expressionless; heÆd seen it all.
And then MegaloGrowmon would return. And a few people, just a few, would have time to run, shielded by the body of that beast.
He would never forget this day. Every death was like a brand; itÆd stay with him forever, an eternal testament to his failure.
But that didnÆt matter.
BecauseàheÆd managed to save a few lives today.
He could live with the shame.
But that didnÆt mean heÆd let those two colors hit him again!
ôDouble Edge!ö MegaloGrowmon cried, trying to interrupt the attack.
It didnÆt work. The Pig took the attack to his body instead, grunting, and then fired of his attack.
Takato felt fear grip his heart until he saw the color.
Red, he noted.
He didnÆt even have time to feel relief before it hit him.
Oh God, it hurt even more then the first time.
It was like someone had replaced his blood with boiling oilà!
It was like someone was carving him openà!
It was like something was eating him aliveà!
When it faded, heÆd fallen to his knees. Tears were running down his face, though he didnÆt remember crying.
It hurt so much. He wasnÆt sure he could go on.
He wanted to sleep so badlyà
If he did, could anyone blame him? HeÆd been hurt so many times, heÆd seen so many die, if he fell now, could anyone blame him?
Maybe they couldà
But his friends wouldnÆt.
If he fell now, his friends wouldnÆt hate him.
His friends would never blame him for any of this.
But even if thatÆs the caseà
Because they would never blame himà
ThatÆs exactly why he doesnÆt want to give up.
They rise to their feet. It is an effort to do so, and he finds himself panting afterwards, but he stands.
Yes, without a doubtà
He wasnÆt strong enough. Maybe if the others were hereà
But alone, he could not defeat Vikaralamon.
ôB-b-but it do-do-doesnÆt matter.ö He forced himself to say. ôS-stuff like that doesnÆt matter at all! MegaloGrowmon!ö
His partner planted his feet and finished his Tamers sentence.
ôNo matter what, we will protect this city!ö
XxXXxX
Open Windows
First Window: Glory to the Demon Monster
ôD-damn it.ö Takato grunted at the pain. He had his arms extended, as if he were pushing against something. It must have been really heavy to hurt him like that.
But that was impossible; there was nothing there. The boy was pushing against empty air.
WasnÆt he?
It seemed so, but things were not always what they seemed. Ahead of him, further down the street, two monsters clashed.
One was an impossibly huge Boar. He had three red horns and two monstrously huge tusks that were each capped with gold. His body was almost completely covered in shaggy brown fur.
The other was an enormous reptilian cyborg. He stood many stories tall, his upper body and jaw covered in machinery. If one looked at both him and the boy, theyÆd notice something strange.
They were in the exact same positions.
ôMegaloGrowmonà!ö The boy forced out. ôPleaseànot another step backà!ö
The red beast roared his agreement and together they strained against the beast.
But it was like pushing against a mountain. No matter how hard they tried, the result was the same.
The boy and the beast screamed with exertion and pain as they were pushed back. The boar buckled and twisted and pushed against them and they lost their grip on its tusks for just a moment.
But it was enough.
ôTreasure Wheel!ö The beast cried, opening his mouth.
Takato would have cursed if he had effort to spare.
He didnÆt.
He and his partner were well acquainted with this attack.
The Pig Deva would fire a ball of energy from his mouth, but it was more complicated than that.
Blue balls bind, red balls cause damage, and yellow balls can transport. The Pig also uses Green balls on himself; they seemed to heal him.
Takato wasnÆt sure which was more dangerous, but they all required focus.
Noàthat wasnÆt true. He knew which were the most dangerous.
Blue and Yellow.
When the Red balls hit, it hurts so bad. It feels like being burnt alive; he can feel his flesh burning, his blood boiling, his muscles twisting in painà! It hurts so much that he wants to fall to his knees and thank God when itÆs over.
But that didnÆt matter.
Green could heal VikaralamonÆs wounds. It couldnÆt be expressed in wordsàit felt likeàto see all their hard work fade away like smoke before their very eyes!
But that didnÆt matter.
If they were knocked down, theyÆd just get back up. If their work disappeared, theyÆd just carve it into their enemy anew.
But Blue and Yellowà!
It was the same every time.
Blue would bind them, leave them open, trap them in one place. It was like their bodies turned to lead.
And Vikaralamon would just walk away. Like they didnÆt matter. Like they were nothing.
But that didnÆt matter.
Their pride was meaningless. It had been crushed to pieces long ago. What mattered was the city.
And the people in it.
Takato didnÆt look to the side of the road, where evidence of the DevaÆs destruction stood like a monument.
He didnÆt want to see the blood anymore.
HeÆd seen so much blood today; they were evacuating the city, but it was hard to do, especially with this damn Pig tearing up buildings and roads and everything else.
But they could struggle out of the Blue Wheels. It hurt, and it hurt more every time they did it, but they could. It felt like they were straining themselves until they broke, butà
But that didnÆt matter.
But those Yellow Wheel! They couldnÆt fight them. TheyÆd swallow MegaloGrowmon up in a flash of light and put him on the other side of the city. He had his speed cards with him today, fortunately, so his partner always returned as quickly as possible, butà
It still took time.
And while he was gone, Takato was here. And he could do nothing but watch as the Deva tore up his city.
And heÆd watched. HeÆd seen people die in pain, in fear, standing courageously, begging for their lives, crying, expressionless; heÆd seen it all.
And then MegaloGrowmon would return. And a few people, just a few, would have time to run, shielded by the body of that beast.
He would never forget this day. Every death was like a brand; itÆd stay with him forever, an eternal testament to his failure.
But that didnÆt matter.
BecauseàheÆd managed to save a few lives today.
He could live with the shame.
But that didnÆt mean heÆd let those two colors hit him again!
ôDouble Edge!ö MegaloGrowmon cried, trying to interrupt the attack.
It didnÆt work. The Pig took the attack to his body instead, grunting, and then fired of his attack.
Takato felt fear grip his heart until he saw the color.
Red, he noted.
He didnÆt even have time to feel relief before it hit him.
Oh God, it hurt even more then the first time.
It was like someone had replaced his blood with boiling oilà!
It was like someone was carving him openà!
It was like something was eating him aliveà!
When it faded, heÆd fallen to his knees. Tears were running down his face, though he didnÆt remember crying.
It hurt so much. He wasnÆt sure he could go on.
He wanted to sleep so badlyà
If he did, could anyone blame him? HeÆd been hurt so many times, heÆd seen so many die, if he fell now, could anyone blame him?
Maybe they couldà
But his friends wouldnÆt.
If he fell now, his friends wouldnÆt hate him.
His friends would never blame him for any of this.
But even if thatÆs the caseà
Because they would never blame himà
ThatÆs exactly why he doesnÆt want to give up.
They rise to their feet. It is an effort to do so, and he finds himself panting afterwards, but he stands.
Yes, without a doubtà
He wasnÆt strong enough. Maybe if the others were hereà
But alone, he could not defeat Vikaralamon.
ôB-b-but it do-do-doesnÆt matter.ö He forced himself to say. ôS-stuff like that doesnÆt matter at all! MegaloGrowmon!ö
His partner planted his feet and finished his Tamers sentence.
ôNo matter what, we will protect this city!ö
XxXXxX