The Great Scavenging (Spirit Hunt)

Isaac kept his eyes closed, listening for beeps before dashing in their general direction. Checking for spirits became a lot more tedious when in Digimon form. His Digivice usually tended to meld into his body, even when Yasyamon had perfectly good pants to keep it inside. Even if he could get to it, how would he even be able to use it? Yasyamon had big arm guards covering his hands, and Orochimon? The idea of a giant snake grabbing a Digivice in one head and using another head to navigate was both hilarious and aggravating to him. He had to rely on his own internal compass, something he was incredibly poorly versed in at the moment. The internal nature of his Digivice also made it more annoying to communicate with his brother, the two occasionally fading in and out of focus. When the Undercity's poor signal wasn't sabotaging them, it was their own less-than-perfect control over the Digivice's communications features. "Alright, I think it's telling me to go to the center. You got any idea what's in store yet?"

"It's mostly empty, at least?" Elliot tried to keep his town of voice optimistic, but there was a little bit of apprehension underlying it. He began scanning the camera footage on his screen, occasionally tabbing out when WaruMonzaemon went for one of his usual strolls. Occasionally the Geremon inside popped out and shot Elliot with a steely eyed glance, forcing him to scramble at looking as productive as possible. One mistake, and he'd be on thin ice. "Everyone's focusing on the smaller piles for now, but there's already somebody on the main heap. I'll be honest, I don't really think he belongs here at all. Unless one of these guys repaired an entire Mekanorimon. Can they even do that?" A Sukamon next to him shrugged, before jealously whispering to one of his coworkers about how badly he wished he could take a Mekanorimon for a spin.

"Wait. Mekanorimon?" Isaac paused slightly, looking around. That sounded familiar to him, but he just couldn't put his finger on why. However, he didn't have time to think about the situation for too long. "Ah, if he's a threat I'll be able to take him. Coast's clear aside from that? Perfect." Without even waiting for a statement from mission control Isaac dashed off, subjecting Elliot to the sound of squishy footprints as he tried to turn off his Digivice's communications. He was making great pace on his way to the center of the heap, and soon he had triumphantly stuck his swords into the base of the pile.

"That's gross."

Isaac rolled his eyes as mission control started getting snippy with him. "Hey, don't judge," he said, pulling himself up as the sword held firm. "I need the leverage. 'Sides, do you want me touching this with my bare hands?" Thankfully, the sheer density of the Great Heap made it easy for climbing. One sword in, one sword out, one sword in, one sword out. Isaac was scaling the mountain of trash like a pro, the trash he dislodged with each tug being immediately set-upon by a gang of desperate RedOtamamon. A Numemon oozed out of a nearby stack of tires, bugging his eyes out waggling his tongue to scare the children away. A Sukamon pushed the tires over, laughing at the armless slime as he tried to right himself, and then began scooping up the trash for himself. Isaac wasn't distracting himself by looking at what was going on, but he knew he had caused some kind of commotion. "Eyes on the prize, damnit," he muttered, forcing himself to keep focused and finish scaling the pile. With a triumphant shout he pulled himself over the lip of the garbage mountain, drawing his sword with a flourish and landing on top. "Alright! Now where's this ro . . . bot?"

There was no sign of the Mekanorimon. There was, however, a high-pitched whining noise and a large hole in the top of the pile. When Isaac went to investigate, he found a whirling blur of yellow slowly drilling its way down. If Mekanorimon was there now, he certainly wouldn't be in another few minutes. Heck, with how wobbly the trash beneath Isaac's feet was, there wouldn't likely be a pile for much longer! "Damnit, Elliot! Why didn't you tell me it could tunnel?" he asked, but Elliot didn't respond. Instead, Isaac could only hear a Sukamon excitedly babbling about his husband and their three beautiful kids. Occasionally Isaac could hear a muted "Please help me," and he just knew poor Elliot was getting a wallet full of baby photos dangled in front of his face right now.

However, where Isaac saw adversity, he also saw opportunity. Now he could go directly through the center of the pile, allowing him to check for his spirit in as many places as possible. He'd just have to slow his descent so that he wouldn't end up falling right past it. Adjusting his mask so that he wouldn't have to risk the horrible odors lying within, Isaac dove into the crater.

Tightening the mask helped, but only barely. Isaac nearly wanted to hurl as he started sliding into the freshly-drilled hole. Odors that had been sealed in for decades were pouring out at great speeds, and in his daze Isaac almost forgot the second part of his plan. He quickly jammed a sword into the wall, thankful that the slushy insides of the Great Heap were giving way more than the thick outer layer. Instead of stopping his descent it would slow it to a more gentle pace, allowing Isaac to properly parse the beeping in his head. He was getting close, even if the combination of the beeps, the heat, and the rotting odor was starting to give him a bad case of sensory overload. He squeezed his eyes shut, making sure he would be free of any distractions as he continued sailing down. At any second now it would be time to lash out blindly and hope he could grab the proper spirit. He thought back to that first day in the Network Plains, when he had to help that brutish Tankmon unearth spirits. That exact same sound needed to be all he focused on. Once that fevered beeping started, Isaac's eyes snapped open and he lashed out at a stony, black base embedded in the pile.

The good news was that he grabbed it. The bad news was that he wasn't alone. A massive yellow hand shot past him, grabbing at another base right next to it and knocking Isaac to the ground. He looked at the spirit he grabbed, and sighed in aggravation as he looked over its shape. A great serpentine dragon, covered in steely chains? In white? The beeps in his head continued to frantically go off, as if warning him 'Wrong spirit, doofus.' He turned to see where he was being guided, and that was when he finally noticed the Monzaemon-patterned Mekanorimon standing just to his left. The two were practically on top of each other due to the cramped nature of the tunnel, and the victory dance Mekanorimon was doing by rocking back and forth wasn't helping any. From what Isaac could see, it was clutching his spirit in its hands, a black dragon similar in shape to the white dragon Isaac currently held. As he opened his mouth to speak, a familiar voice cut him off. "A-ha! Victory, at long last! Come, Ferrus. Bring me my prize!"

Isaac's eyes widened in shock as he sprung up to his feet. "Ulysses!?"

The Mekanorimon's glass dome popped open, revealing a very familiar NiseAgumon Hakase. It was very hard for the lying professor to look dignified when wearing a plush Numemon suit, but he still took a grandoise bow as he stared Isaac down. "Ha! I was right, Ferrus. Did I not tell you I would gain recognition as soon as I had one of these spirits? Already, an adoring fan knows my name.

Say, have I seen you somewhere before?" His eyes narrowed at Isaac, who immediately realized that Ulysses didn't recognize him in this form.

New plan. Get his spirit back, Digivolve to this new form, and then take Elliot's spirit anyway. After what Ulysses pulled in the Trailmon terminal, he deserved it. But first? Acting. "How could you not?" Isaac asked, trying to replicate Ulysses' grandoise tone. "I, Hector, am only one of the finest treasure hunters in the Digital World! I've scaled mountains, stormed through deserts, and carved through the tundra in search of riches galore. I've even braved the storms of the Dark Area, and bear the scars to prove it. And these are a treasure I have seen many times in the past."

"Ah, of course. How could I ever be so foolish, as to forget one so storied as yourself?" There was the sign of a high-society faker. A completely made up identity, and Ulysses wanted so desperately to sound smart that he jumped right on it. "Tell me. What do you think of these latest finds?"

Now was Isaac's chance. "Why, they are astounding! They resonate with pure power. Although, I must warn you, I think we have made a fatal error," he said. "You see, spirits are naturally attuned to us. They unlock great strength, but only if we are capable of bearing them. And I fear we might have the opposite spirits. Without a trade, these are no more than statues."

Ulysses looked over his spirit, suspicious. "I'm unsure. This is a dark dragon, such as myself. Yours is a light demon, such as yourself."

"And yet, this is chained down and orderly, as a man of science and reason. Yours is wild and untempered, like the burning heart of an explorer." Isaac was nearing the point of just saying "gimme the friggin spirit."

"Pah! I have no time for such subjectivities! But I must thank you, for you have given me an even greater idea. I will put the spirit on the marketplace of Terminus, a game of sort. Many shall come to pull the metaphorical sword from the stone, but all shall fail. And as they pay me for the privilege to try, I can sell them all sorts of goods as consolation prizes. I'll be rich! No, no. Double rich! Ah, brilliance.

Unfortunately, such a plan would be twice as good with two spirits instead of one. I apologize our partnership must meet such an unfruitful end, Hector. Ferrus, bring the walls down upon his head!" The Mekanorimon opened its eye and began carving a laser against the wall, Isaac looking back in surprise as a cascade of metal, stone, and filth threatened to fall upon his head.

Elliot didn't know what was going on down there, but he certainly saw the heap start to collapse inward on itself. "Isaac!" he called out, worried. That outburst finally got the attention of the assembled group, and soon Elliot felt a plush claw on his shoulder. Then the hand migrated upwards, two rough arms grappling the ExTyrannomon head he was wearing.

"You've been a mess all day. Get some damn air!" shouted WaruMonzaemon, eventually ripping off the ExTyrannomon head despite Elliot's best efforts at keeping it around. Gasps echoed around the room as the Strikedramon beneath was revealed. WaruMonzaemon was the first to regain composure, pointing at Elliot and demanding "On him, now!" The Monzaemon in the room stood up, and Elliot was forced to leap right out of the ExTyrannomon suit before it was crushed beneath the weight of a thousand Care Bear stares.

There was only one thing left for Elliot to do now.

Run like hell!

Gekkomon was one of the most agile types of Digimon in the Undercity, and this one in particular was brimming with confidence. As dozens of other prospective scavengers began circling around him, a cocky grin slowly started to spread across his face. "You know what? Bring it on!" he shouted, eagerly hopping in place as he waited for the rest of the Skum to mobilize. He ducked under bazooka shots from Garbagemon, juked a pouncing Sukamon out of the way with a spin move, and lifted up a ShellNumemon to use his shell as a barrier against incoming balls of trash. Finally came a trio of Numemon, surrounding Gekkomon from all sides before hungrily pouncing at him. Gekkomon vaulted right over their heads, their slimy bodies smashing together as he laughed and broke into a run. They tried to pull themselves apart, but were having one heck of a time of it due to how sticky they were. Gekkomon stopped to point and laugh, only for his whole body to go rigid and start ringing. A Chuuman had sneaked up behind him, hitting him square on the head with an oversized mallet. The Gekkomon fell over from the force of the hit, physically unharmed but sporting a giant cartoon bruise on his head, giving Chuumon just enough time to take the spirits that were dropped and run.

He ran away in an instant, thankful that his small size made him tough to track. Most of the Skum were distracted trying to find the culprit, even as Gekkomon pointed and tried to warn the rest where Chuumon was. However, most of the Skum were too busy focusing on something else. Even Chuumon, who was currently trying to make a break for it, found himself stopping and staring to try and get a peek of what the commotion was about. Upon noticing it, he promptly redoubled his efforts to run. How else was he supposed to react when he saw a huge Orochimon suddenly rise out of the crowd and roar "Give it back!" The Chuumon screamed shrilly, flinging banana peels, oversized mousetraps, and smoke bombs behind him as he tried to escape. All the while he peeked over his shoulder, eyes boggling as he saw that Orochimon was getting closer instead of further. Other Skum were being flung out of the way by his eight thrashing heads, and his powerful coils smashed all of Chuumon's traps with ease.

"You're just making it easier to find you, you know," Isaac warned, hoping Chuumon would realize what was wrong with this plan and just give over the spirits. Instead, realizing that Isaac was right, Chuumon stopped throwing traps and dove into the nearest garbage pile. He thought he was safe there, but soon the pile started to shake and quiver. It was far too late that Chuumon realized the pile he dove into was currently occupied, and he jumped out of the pile with a sore bum and a distinct lack of spirits in his hands. Emerging from the pile was Ulysses, swatting at the Chuumon with his long, flexible baton.

"Ha! Did you think this would be the last you've seen of me?" he asked, triumphantly hoisting the spirits up high. "Not rain, nor sleet, or even filth can stop me from taking what is rightfully mine. Come, Ferrus! Let us leave this place.

Hello? Ferrus?"

Unfortunately, the Mekanorimon was currently occupied. A few ExTyrannomon, their plush suits inflated like balloons, were surrounding him. "Sir, please clear the airspace," said a Monzaemon that was dangling off of an ExTyrannomon's foot. "You have failed to show us your flight license. Land, or we will have to make you." Not wanting to cause any more trouble, the Mekanorimon gently started to descend. However, by then, the Monzaemon's small attention spans had wandered. A green pseudopod poked out from the mouth of one, pointing in Orochimon's general direction. "Look! Is that the snake?" one of them asked, trying to remember the description given by their captain. "Ah well, close enough," another said, and soon the Monzaemon had begun dropping from the sky to assail Orochimon's many necks.

While they were suits of plush armor instead of actual Digivolutions, the fact that at least three of them made them very difficult for Isaac to deal with. Three of Orochimon's heads were caught into hefty headlocks, while the other five thrashed to try and shake them off. "Hey! I haven't done anything wrong!" Isaac protested, even as plush fists started bashing against the sides of his heads. Two of them were puppet heads, so they weren't too painful, but the organic head was starting to ring from the force. That Monzaemon earned a smash into the ground, Isaac hoping to dislodge him sooner rather than later. Unfortunately the Monzaemon didn't seem too intent on listening, and most of the Skum were too busy watching and cheering to get involved.

Or, at least, half of them were. The other half noticed that Ulysses was carrying spirits, weak, and wearing a very clumsy looking Numemon suit. It was only a matter of time before a Sukamon leaped at Ulysses, lifting him up by the eyestalks of his outfit and trying to shake the spirits out from him. Another Sukamon, his accomplice, held a garbage bag out to catch the falling spirits. The two laughed, chattering excitedly about what they could do with the spirits, only to suddenly flash a bright purple as Ulysses' Liar Beam hit them. Suddenly they forgot what they were here for, and started fighting over who got to own Ulysses' one Numemon costume. They dropped him in order to better continue fighting, slapping and scratching at each other while Ulysses gracelessly rolled away. The road to the spirits was now perfectly clear, even if he had to inch the entire way up like a common bug. It was really tempting to stick around and hear the Sukamon talking about how they've always wanted to be Numemon when they grew up, though. Oh, the Liar Beam was such a wonderful ability!

Unfortunately, Ulysses' inch toward freedom wasn't going to go as smoothly as he had planned. The ground beneath his feet rumbled, eventually giving way as Elliot burst from beneath. Taking an accidental headbutt from an Ultimate was no fun for Ulysses, sending him flying for the second time this day. The garbage bag of spirits, which had been dragged diligently behind Ulysses, fell at Elliot's coils and caused the snake to beam. "Found 'em!" he called out, merrily scooping the bag up in his tail and slithering around the Great Heap. Isaac had to be somewhere in this giant maze of garbage and brawling Digimon. Thankfully, said somewhere was far easier to find when Isaac was a many-headed snake wrestling with a bunch of bears. Elliot waved eagerly to his brother, charging in for a snakehug. "There you are! Isn't it great? The spirits just dropped right in front of me!" Elliot said excitedly, the trio of Monzaemeon bailing to avoid being crushed beneath the duo's coils.

"So, is that the snake? Or is the other guy the snake?"

"Maybe they're both the snake?"

"Or maybe neither of them are the snake?"

"Oh, hush! If we don't do something, the Captain's gonna make us wish we never showed up. Just do something!"

One Monzaemon fired an exploding heart at Elliot. One charged Isaac and began raking him with sharp claws. The third, eyeing the garbage bag on Elliot's tail, eagerly tore it off and began rooting through it. "What are these?" he asked, eyeing them suspiciously, only to lose them in a bright flash of green. Gekkomon had returned, sliding beneath the Monzaemon and snatching the spirits. He cackled as he ran, only to bump right into the three-Numemon pileup from earlier. Now towering over the fallen Gekkomon, it smashed him to the ground with a powerful tongue lash and took the spirits for itself. Monzaemon pursued as it started to leave, shouting "Stop right there! You're smuggling contraband and stood by as an officer was assaulted!" Unfortunately, both Numemon and Monzaemon were stopped as another Monzaemon was sent tumbling into them. Elliot politely slithered over the group of fallen Skum, apologizing as he picked up the spirits that they dropped as a result. He went to bring them toward Isaac, but a mechanical arm shot out and grabbed tightly onto the spirits. Ferrus had returned, a positively steaming Ulysses sitting in his cockpit,

The standoff was tense. Isaac and Elliot stared down Ferrus and Ulysses, who stared down the Monzaemon guard, who stared the brothers down right back. All the while, the population of the Undercity watched like hawks, each waiting for the chance to get their hands, tongues, and pseudopods onto the treasures everybody had been talking about. Nobody was sure who wanted to make the first move.

And then a single sock, absolutely pristine, landed onto the spirits.

Both Elliot and Ferrus dropped them in shock, the Undercity wailed in revulsion, and the Monzaemon immediately scanned the crowd to see what sort of sicko was bringing something so clean to their fair city. From the crowd a bushy-browed ShellNumemon emerged, proudly hefting up a briefcase full of clean socks, laundry detergent, and soap. "Nobody move, or I'll take each and every one of you to the cleaners!" he demanded, waving the briefcase for everyone to see. The Monzaemon whispered at each other in hushed tones, wondering if this was truly the Undercity's most notorious soap-smuggler. "Now, I'm gonna take these spirits. I'm gonna sell 'em on the white market. And none of you are gonna say a word, y'see?"

Isaac sighed, wondering what the hell this clown was doing back in town. Ulysses blinked, and then let out a disdainful "Really?" Ferrus' arm lashed to pick up the ShellNumemon, and one of Isaac's puppet heads shot off to knock the briefcase from his hands. Immediately all three Monzaemon dove onto the briefcase, as if stopping the crowd from witnessing its repulsiveness. Unfortunately, that meant active security was no longer watching the premises. Letting out a war cry, the citizens of the Undercity charged forward to mob the spirits.

The brawl was brutal. Hair was pulled, blood was split, and filth was flung in all directions. A Sukamon chokeslammed Ulysses directly into a puddle of sewage, ruining his perfectly good robes. A Monzaemon guardsman had his comrade in a headlock, only realizing his error when the exasperated third Monzaemon separated them. Every five seconds the spirits seemed to change hands, whether to the brothers, the Monzaemon guard, Ulysses, or the Undercity's many hungering citizens. It seemed nobody could keep their eyes on the prize before being bombarded by a string of attacks and distractions. In fact, the chaos was so immense that nobody noticed a line of tiny RedOtamamon toddling into the fracas, entering empty-handed and leaving with the spirits proudly balanced upon their heads. It was only when Isaac and Ferrus realized that they were playing tug-of-war with an empty garbage bag that they noticed the distinct lack of spirits in the group. They looked at each other sheepishly, before Ferrus clocked Isaac across the face and made a break for the exit. Soon everyone was following, Elliot digging a tunnel to avoid getting caught in the pack and Isaac following close behind.

By the time everyone left the heap, it was too late. Elliot and Isaac emerged to see the RedOtamamon standing before King Raremon himself, cheering "Happy We Love The King Day!" in unison. For their troubles they received a pat on the head and an armful of lint, which coming from Raremon's tree trunk like arms was a fairly massive amount. They squealed happily and dove into the pile, looking for all the world like kids in a candy store.

So, too, did Raremon himself, He rubbed the spirits as he held them close to his eye, looking at their every detail. "Ah, yes," he crooned, weighing the two to feel their heft. "You children have found me a most wonderful gift. This could be the best We Love The King Day yet.

For today, I will finally claim the power I've so long deserved!" As Elliot and Isaac shot each other worried looks, Raremon closed his fists around the two beast spirits. Slowly, his body started to glow, swirls of light and darkness intertwining around him. Elliot and Isaac recoiled as a bright pulse erupted from the throne, squeezing their eyes shut and shakily reopening them to see just how King Raremon would look after this.

Laughter echoed as the king stetched out his new wings, no longer Raremon but an amalgamate of Gargoylemon and Devidramon. And right now he was peering at both of the boys, grinning quite cruelly.

The transformed Raremon took the sky, hovering over the frantically dodging brothers as they tried to regain their bearings. "Such power . . . such grace . . . is this what I've missed out on? What we've all missed out on?" he asked, seemingly more concerned with doing loops through the air than he was with finishing the fight. "And surely, this form will only feel greater as I absorb your data to build it up further. With my voracious appetite, the surface won't stand a chance!" His tail sprouted many barbs of sapphire and ruby crystals, aimed right down at Isaac. With a screeching war cry he descended, aiming to run the fallen snake right through.

A flash of white had tackled him out of midair. Elliot had gotten up, and he was not about to let Isaac take the brunt of that attack. Snake and dragon coiled around each other, a writhing mass of black, white, and grey as each tried to wrestle each other to the ground. Unfortunately for Elliot, Raremon had many tricks up his sleeves. He turned his coiled body to stone, tightening his squeeze around Elliot and causing him to let out a pained shout. He was forced to relinquish his grip, but by then it was too late. Raremon had the grapple locked in tight, and he was making it especially painful for the fool that dared to intervene in this fight. "Isaac, help!" he called out, desperation lacing his voice.

It didn't take long for Isaac to oblige, shoving his tail rattle right at Raremon's back and shaking it frantically. At point blank range all of the bullets ended up impacting the same spot, causing the stone at that point to shudder, crack, and eventually shatter. Once the weak spot was exposed Isaac leaned in to bite it harshly, Raremon shouting and undoing the coil. He tried to wrap around Isaac, but as soon as he dropped focus from Elliot he was slashed hard in the side by a freshly-conjured Bao Kui lance. Upon turning back to Elliot, a few of Isaac's heads smashed him in the crook of the neck. This continued for a while, until the furious Raremon spun in a circle, slashing the two brothers with his wings as a whirlwind forced them back. "Stop it, stop it, stop it! You dare face a king with such dishonor?"

"Are you crazy? This was your challenge!"

"Well, no matter. You are only delaying your fate." Isaac shot a snapping head in Raremon's direction, but the king's wound-up bodies separated into the necks of Gargoylemon and Devidramon. They twisted and bent around the head, then returned fire with blasts of light and darkness. Isaac was forced to hit the floor, motioning with his tail for Elliot to pounce and get some head off of him. Elliot moved into position, but as he pounced a dark shape suddenly knocked him out of the sky. As he landed, a deep red gash was visible in his side.

Guard Captain WaruMonzaemon landed gracefully before the fallen snake, turning to Raremon and kneeling. "I have been your most faithful since I took up the suit. Please, let me serve you," he said, head bowed low. Isaac shot Elliot a nervous look, desperately hoping that this already difficult fight wouldn't become a two-on-two match. Seeing that his brother wasn't moving, he turned back to the action just in time to see Raremon fly over to WaruMonzaemon.

The king looked his captain up and down, pondering, before lowering his head very closely. "You dare intervene, and make me look weak before all of my subjects?" he demanded, lashing out with a powerful double headbutt. WaruMonzaemon hit the ground like the rag doll he was, shooting his king an absolutely heartbroken look. "I shall rend the surface to pieces with my own two claws! Leave me!" Ignoring the bear, he turned his attention back to Isaac. He didn't even notice that WaruMonzaemon was running back to Elliot, blotting anything from his vision but himself and the interloper that still stood against him.

Elliot initially cringed as WaruMonzaemon approached, but much to his surprise he was being helped up instead of beaten up. "As soon as you two reared your ugly heads he's started doing this. What the hell did you two do to him?" he hissed, Elliot staring back with wide, guilt-free eyes.

"I don't know! We don't know!" Elliot pleaded, shaking like a leaf under WaruMonzaemon's withering glare. "We were just trying to get our spirits and leave. We didn't mean to cause all this trouble. I swear!"

"Whatever those are, they must've gotten into his head," WaruMonzaemon muttered. "Get them back. Take them far, far away. And then never come back. Understood?" Elliot nodded, nervously swallowing in response to WaruMonzaemon's implicit threat.

With his resolved renewed Elliot rose to his full height, firing a rain of spears into Raremon's side. His grappling match with Isaac, gnarled arms holding back gnashing heads, was interrupted just in time. Raremon had cleanly ripped off all but two heads, one puppet and one real, and Isaac was not going to stick around and find out which Raremon would pick next. He weakly headbutted the king away with both remaining heads, immediately beating a retreat. Elliot slithered past his brother, asking him "Are we just going to beat him up? What is that going to do to the spirits?"

Isaac paused. That was a really good point. "There's two spirits, right? Well, if we can get him to desynchronize somehow, maybe that'll stop him in his tracks. But how are we going to do that when there's only one brain controlling the-" Another pause. This time, a look of inspiration very quickly flashed to a look of irritation. "I've got a plan. But I don't like it at all. Cover for me while I get it all set up, okay?" With that the two brothers went their separate ways, Elliot taking Isaac's place against Raremon as Isaac slithered toward the crowd.

Elliot was more fresh, as Isaac had done the brunt of the fighting both against Raremon and in the Heap. However, his injured side was making dodging Raremon's attacks far harder than it needed to be. Raremon screamed past him, constantly slashing at his upper body with razor-sharp wings. Any attempts to dodge or block were just a little bit too slow, and fatigue was starting to mount as Elliot fought his injury almost as much as he fought Raremon. Finally the king took to the skies, highlighting himself against the sky before diving tail-first at Elliot. Ruby and sapphire crystals sprouted from the tail, Elliot desperately lowering his head to block them with his shell. Scales were knocked off with an awful crunching noise, and while he was able to deflect Raremon this time he knew the next time wouldn't be so lucky for him.

While Elliot was risking his life, Isaac was risking his sanity. He stood before Ferrus and Ulysses, swallowing his pride with both remaining heads as he planned to make his offer. "Look. You know I'm the last person on Earth who would ever say I need help. Especially from you."

"What is this Earth you speak of, again?"

"Of all the times to be a smartass-!" Isaac, no, your blood pressure! He sighed, shaking his head to regain his composure. "Look, fact is, we need you. What's that thing you do that scrambles peoples' brains up? Because we're thinking if we can hit him with that, it'll start separating out the spirits. He's putting up one hell of a fight while using both, but he'll be just as strong as my brother or I if we can get him back to one. We should be able to knock the sense back into him easily if we can do that. But you're the last piece of the puzzle here. So what do you say? Truce?"

"Ah, but you forget one major part of my terms," Ulysses crooned, flicking his baton. He had all the cards in his hand now, didn't he? "What would be in it for me?"

"You mean, other than not having a giant, pissed off sewer dragon on your conscience?" That didn't seem to get Ulysses' attention. Damnit! "Well, think about it. You want fame and fortune? What better way than to save a beloved king from his descent into madness? You'll be a hero to these people. No, no. A legend! Isn't that worth more than hustling a few people on the black market for some spare bits?

Besides. I bet you want to check out Raremon's royal treasury, don't you?

Ulysses leaned forward, clearly interested. "I'm listening."

"Ask the bear for details once the fight's over. Heck, it won't even be a fight. We only need one thing from you, just one attack. You won't even be in any danger."

All the glory, none of the guts? Sign Ulysses right up! Ferrus hunkered back to a standing stance as Ulysses lowered his cockpit's glass, dramatically pointing at Raremon with his baton. "We're off, Ferrus! Set a course for the battlefield," he called out, the Mekanorimon whirring to life and marching forward.

It couldn't have been better timed, because Elliot was losing ground fast. A blast of light sent him careening to the ground, leaving his injured side ripe for the picking. Raremon's tail coated itself with jagged crystals for the third time as he flew up high, aiming to stab right into Elliot's vulnerable points in a killshot. As he descended WaruMonzaemon desperately interposed himself, catching Raremon's tail in the prongs of his gauntlet, but a mighty twist of his tail shattered the gauntlet's claws into mere shards. WaruMonzaemon had been disarmed, leaving him helpless to stop a vicious tail smash to the side from Raremon. Stuffing leaked from his chest as he hit the ground, the Geremon inside popping out to catch his breath and get his bearings back. With WaruMonzaemon and Elliot alike injured, it seemed few were able to stand against Raremon. He hovered forward, lifting his claw as a dark aura swirled around it. "Ah, I can't wait to turn you to stone and put you in my garden. 'The First Example,' I'll call it. Such a beautiful sculpture!"

And then, in a flash of green, Raremon stopped. What day was this again? Part of him wanted to say We Live The King Day, where every little Digimon in the Undercity pretended to be their much-beloved ruler. Another part of him wanted to say We Love The Kong Day, where they paid tribute to a statue of a giant monkey. It was easily the most beautiful thing in the Undercity, after all. It was a small diversion, true, but even the most minor diversion could cause the diametrically opposed spirits to start splitting. Raremon's hand blurred back and forth, changing from black to white with each passing second, and he seemed incapable of lowering it for the killing strike. Having one brain made it near-impossible to split, but when he lost control it was near-impossible to reenact his will as well.

"I was fortunate he was such a willful and stupid one," Ulysses remarked, smirking as the Liar Beam hit its mark. "But even then, the power gulf between us is immense. You have mere seconds to make your mark before he puts himself back together."

Isaac nodded, turning to his injured brother. "Elliot! Now! You've only got one shot at this!" he roared, prompting Elliot force himself back into a standing position. With a hissing roar he barreled forward, smashing Raremon directly in the chest with his head. He flipped, whipping him across the side with his tail. Finally, he launched a rain of spears right out of his mouth, skewering the separating king repeatedly. His body continued to shimmer and blur, and soon the Beast Spirit of Chaos had been knocked cleanly from his body. Where the amalgamate once stood, now only a Gargoylemon was standing.

Isaac launched his last puppet head at the spirit, the dutiful head catching it in his mouth and bounding back to Isaac's side. Bidding Orochimon form farewell, Isaac closed his eyes and let an aura of darkness wash over him. "Chaos, guide me with your hundred crimson eyes! Arise, Devidramon!" Ulysses was looking at him like he was a total weirdo, but Isaac didn't care about that. He cared more about the shadows swirling around him, red eyes opening all over his silhouette as wings, arms, and legs burst from his serpentine body. They coalesced into a physical form, the lean and mean Devidramon appearing with a fearsome roar.

Raremon looked around, outraged and confused at his lack of a form. He grabbed Elliot by the neck in one of Gargoylemon's massive hands, aiming to choke the life out of him and take his data. His plan wasn't ruined yet! He could still win the day! Unfortunately, he didn't count on Elliot spitting the Bao Kui lance to his brother, Isaac zooming into the sky in order to catch it. After catching it Isaac looked down at Raremon, pointing the lance at him while staring directly into his eyes.

The Malice Glare hit Raremon right in the heart. His was a plan derived near entirely from ego, more about his own power and pleasure than that of his subjects. His musclebound artwork, each a monument to his insecurity, and the dismissive way he handled WaruMonzaemon's aid were clear proof of that. He never had the conviction to truly go through with what he promised, even as he talked a huge game while high on his rush of power. The gaze withered away at Raremon's muscles, his movements slowing and his hand going slack enough to drop Elliot back onto the ground. He tried to turn away from Isaac and flee, but he seemed to be moving in slow motion. There was no way he was going to make it.

Soaring up a bit for momentum, Isaac dove down and pierced clearly through Raremon with the Bao Kui.

The Beast Spirit of Order floated away from his body as his Gargoylemon form swelled up, exploding into a mass of blue-grey goo. Slowly, the pile of goo began to reform into Raremon's original form, the king putting a hand to his head and letting out a loud groan. Immediately, the population of the Undercity surrounded him, worriedly swarming their king and asking if he was alright. Those who doubted his mission were overjoyed to see him come to his senses. Those who supported it were disappointed, but also glad that they wouldn't fail and get themselves killed. After all, if two people could beat their great king, what chance did they have? In all the excited murmuring, two words were heard more than any other. "What happened?"

"He wasn't thinking straight," WaruMonzaemon said, standing back up and waving the crowd away. "The spirits drove him mad with power, and he stopped talking sense."

Raremon, who may or may not have been completely genuine in his motives, immediately pounced on this easy out. "Yes, yes! Oh, so woefully mad. I was afraid I would never see my beloved citizens again, trapped inside that awful thing. Three cheers to our noble heroes, who saved me from my own mind!" WaruMonzaemon let out a disgusted sigh and turned away, while the rest of the Undercity began eagerly hopping up and down and cheering.

"And I, as the most instrumental and powerful of these heroes, will stay behind to continue providing you all my wise counsel!" Ulysses declared, eating up the attention as Isaac and Elliot started to sneak away. With their spirits properly loaded, all they needed to do was de-digivolve and start walking home. "Surely, your king's great power and my endless wit shall bring about all that golden age business he was babbling about. But with less killing things and taking their data. Barbarism." The crowd seemed receptive enough, at least until Ulysses babbled away for too long and started losing their interest. But hey, at least he had a chance of winning their hearts and minds.

Reaching the Undercity's great walls, Elliot and Isaac took one last look at what they had left behind. A big mess, where nothing was better or worse off from when they originally started. "Do you think things are gonna go well for everyone down here?" Elliot asked.

"Beats me," Isaac responded. "I guess they'll just keep going as they've been going. But hey. At least we know there aren't gonna be any sewer uprisings." That was a pretty important distinction.

"Yeah. I guess you're right. Come on, lets get home. I'm starting to forget what fresh air smells like."

"Well, hey. Why waste time walking when we can fly?" With that comment Isaac Digivolved back into Devidramon, scooping his tired brother onto his back and careening right out of the Undercity. It would get them a lot of confused looks when people saw a Devidramon careening out of the Terminus sewers, true, but it beat walking around that awful odor any longer.

Besides, now Elliot could finally rest. He sure as hell deserved it.