The New and the Old [Haru - DNA Hunt]

When Haru had taken to look at that new post on her scanner, the fight had already started: Mikemon, for better or worse, squared off against a blue-caped Gallantmon (X), a fair distance north of The Great Moving Library - and from the time that Tawna plucked Haru up off the ground, to the time that they'd likely find the doctor, a good three or four minutes would have passed. In all, it might not have seemed like that much time.

But even three minutes, under the pressure of squaring off against a Super Mega that wanted you dead, felt like an eternity. Even at Mega, the doctor's only real advantage was in his size, able to narrowly avoid the swift strikes of the Gallantmon in repeated motion. In their first exchange, not a word was shared between them: Mikemon managed to push off the shield, and gain a small bit of distance, only to snarl as the Knight quickly bared down on him.

Tch! Alright, this was bad. Feeling the side of that lance scrape past his side, Mikemon knew he had no chance in an extended battle. Knowing that much, he clasped his hand around his crystal ball, the gauntlet of 'Digizoid Will' covering his right arm. He strained his eyes in focus, looking for any point he could attack the Knight in a decisive way. One lucky punch was all he needed... and there, a chance! As the Gallantmon poised his lance to strike, his foot slipped ever-so-slightly against the mud - and the cat pressed in, kicking off both feet, moving past the lance as he attempted to land one good 'Lightning Paw' to the center of the Knight's head!

Alas, though, it was not to be. With a sudden 'jolt', Mikemon felt himself stopped in the air, a tight grip held around his chest. He blinked, chancing a glance down, to see that the Knight had dropped the lance entirely, and snagged the cat in his bare hand. A moment later, a bright, powerful flame enveloped the gauntlet, surrounding the cat in a searing flame. Gritting his teeth, he somehow endured it... though the gauntlet itself cracked and fell to pieces, quickly dissipating into trash data under the pressure.

With Mikemon's weapon destroyed, Gallantmon gave a flick of the wrist, tossing the cat down on the ground with a harsh tumble and roll - and the cat was slow to get up. Forcing himself on his knees, he grit his teeth, to see the knight walking forward. "After so long, Greed, you'll finally get to pay your dues." The Gallantmon, confident but cautious, slowly stepped forward, a tight, spiraling energy around his lance. The cat couldn't move - but he wasn't about to simply fall over! Forcing a dark energy around his left hand, he lashed out, the blast striking Gallantmon's lance, and catching his legs in the process! With a bit of focus, his quick 'Shadow Stitching' secured the lance and legs to the ground.

Now if I could just -

"GAH!" Before he could even move, though, Gallantmon's shield let out a bright glow, aimed right in the cat's direction, letting out what looked like a soft, radiant light. Its appearance hid the truth: this was a heavy torrent of holy energy, the grass beneath flattening as if held in a heavy bit of 'gravity'. The Doctor's legs buckled back, the cat left struggling on his hands and knees, as Gallantmon broke the shadow binding!

"Farewell, demon." The weapon was freed, leveled right at Mikemon's face, the feline gritting his teeth. He racked his mind - there was nothing he could do like this!

Damn it... damn it!

Nothing came to mind, nothing would work! Held in the grip of that heavy, radiant light, Mikemon could barely struggle, even as the Gallantmon loomed forward. The Knight stood there, poised, intent on removing the once-feared Demon Lord from the face of the world. Time seemed to slow down for the cat, his nails dragging through the dirt. Thoughts of how to act against the knight faded away, other thoughts filling his head.

Thoughts of the Science Club, of the dorky Dark Lord Dio, of video games and laughter in Haru's apartment. Memories of his medical accomplishments, of his long career with Stingmon. Longings to see K one more time, to be able to watch his child grow and prosper.

He thought it to be the end, with a very heavy heart. But one line, one utterance, brought him right back to reality:

"Hold on, Haru!"

As frightening as this was? Hearing that, Mikemon's heart sank. The Gallantmon turned first, quickly squaring his stance against this new adversary. The knight's shield was quickly raised, arrows simply snapping off the superior material. Unfortunately, that call-out gave the Gallantmon enough time to form a proper response: rather than simply wait for Tawna to approach, Gallantmon instead kicked off, intent to slam his shield directly against the Raguelmon's torso!

Should he get this close, the Gallantmon's eyes would lock right on with Raguelmon's - the warrior giving an audible "tch"," seeing Haru still on her shoulder. It was Haru's presence that made the Knight hold back at first: instead of firing an attack in proper, he would instead push out his shield arm with a shove, intent on forcing the Raguelmon to the ground - on her feet! Should this shove work, the shield would gain a slight glow, two of its eight arrows glowing bright.

"Put her aside. I don't wish to spill more blood than I must." Even now, the Gallantmon's eyes flickered, scanning through Tawna's data - as Mikemon, in the background, slowly staggered up to his feet.

Now that its come to this, I can... can...

No, he couldn't: a quick reach under his glove showed that the initial 'Dragon Flame' had destroyed the very 'Demon Pills' he had stowed away, as well as heavily damaged his gloves in general. At that realization, he staggered - and finally, called out:

"Get away! This isn't your time!"

Tch - what a stubborn girl! Having successfully forced Raguelmon against the ground, Gallantmon simply kept up the pressure - even taking the effort to angle his shield slightly downwards to make it more difficult for the opposing mega to pull back. Of course, that was simply a weight on Tawna - it would have been very easy, and preferable to the Gallantmon, should Haru have simply given the fight some distance.

Instead, the dragon knight was met with Tawna's frustration, and Haru's spoken objection. Oh, of course, these two were friends of the cat! "Mm? I see Greed's words have pulled a veil over your eyes as well? Though, I'm not surprised that he kept one like you in his company." The last part of that comment was directed right at Tawna - as that shield continue to bear down on her, the lance held in the opposite arm gained a bright blue glow. Haru aside, Gallantmon had no reservation against taking the Raguelmon's life as well: "Just another brutal murderer!"

Haru might be better able to see it in her peripheral vision - the Knight brought his other arm inward, intending to slam the side of that lance against Tawna's side, energized with a powerful electric current! Should that strike, that powerful current would race through and electrocute the Raguelmon - and Haru, should she maintain contact!

"No... no, damn it!" From a distance, Mikemon tried to step forward, but simply stumbled over himself. Frustrating as it was, his body still wasn't listening to him!

---

"Don't you dare try and tell me what hell is like." Amidst all the bluster, Tawna would find that one remark practically hissed at her, a mere foot away from the Raguelmon's face. This wasn't the tone of a beast trying to kill for fun, or even one trying to indiscriminately and foolishly challenge evil. No, there was a certain weight, a personal tone held to those words, a desparation that radiated with the powerful, crackling energy in his lance.

For the moment, though, Gallantmon came up empty: the force driving her down against the ground was enough to practically force her through that conjured portal. Even as she reemerged, Mikemon easily plucked up by that blackened tail, Gallantmon already turned to face her new position. Clad in that azure cape, the Knight once more stepped forward, metal armor clicking with each step. Mikemon wanted to tell Haru and Tawna to simply drop him and run, but before he could even get the word out, Haru asked that damning question.

About five yards away, the Gallantmon stopped on the spot, his gaze relatively neutral to the tamer herself. He seemed hesitant, for the briefest moment, but settled his gaze on the Raguelmon first.

"Floramon. Gatomon. Lunamon. Hawkmon." The names might seem random, but perhaps after the second, Tawna might understand the very cutting gaze underneath them: "Even in this life, I see the data of at least fifteen rookies you've cut short - those four within the span of six days. Judging by how tight they are held to your core, these weren't taken in passing - you had delight in your heart as you took them. A gluttonous beast like you has no right to level their words even at the lowest scum. And even at that..."

His 'curious' tone quickly changed to one much darker, eyes leveled at that wretched form, held taut in that tail's grip. "Its nothing compared to him. Entire armies rend away to crimson dust at his beck and call." Mikemon visibly winced at the accusation, eyes cast away, as the Knight continued to advance: "Innocents. Workers. Emboldened knights and heroes wanting to stop his advance - all nothing but objects for him to assimilate. And when his 'time' finally came, that Demon Lord, Greed, simply vanished. Taking the lower form of a kitten to live for another 400 cycles."

"..." The cat remained silent, teeth clenched at this cutting accusation. "400 cycles - 400 years he's comfortably lived, stolen off the lives he's claimed before. Even his life." Clutching briefly to that blue cape, the Gallantmon clearly speaking of someone long gone, the Knight squared his stance.

"This is the 'good person' you know. Now. Stand aside." His tone was calm, directed right towards Haru. "Leave them be."

Mikemon... well, he didn't speak to defend himself, but he had become noticeably less 'tense' in Tawna's tail, not even daring to meet eye contact with any of the other three. Eventually, he managed to mutter something, just audible enough for Haru to hear:

"I'm sorry."

Despite the brevity, the weight of that unspoken confession held itself heavy in the air.

Well, well... it seemed these monsters were able to show a hint of guilt after all. On Gallantmon's accusation, it didn't take long for the venom to completely vacate itself from Tawna's voice, fully admitting to the crimes that the knight had declared. Even Dr. Mikemon, held in that tail, found himself unable to meet Haru's eyes, much less the Gallantmon. The built up shame and guild held for hundreds of years finally flowed to the surface.

This was a consequence Mikemon always knew could happen, and it was the very reason he tried to hide himself in his lower form. But now that it all came to a head, all he could do was grit his teeth and look away. Neither he nor Tawna deserved the belief or mercy of anyone.

But Haru gave her's anyway.

Despite the declaration, despite the sheer evil exposed in both of their hearts, Haru seemed to hold on tighter to her partner, desperately pleading to the Knight in her own effort to save them. The tamer knew that she couldn't convince the Gallantmon through power, so she did what she could - trying to appease to the very heart of the executioner before them. Raguelmon's flinch was paired with Mikemon's own, his eyes looking upon the tamer in disbelief. Did these two mean that much to him?

The Knight, for the moment, seemed to give pause... but soon returned the tamer his own glare. His own determination, his rage, his justice enforcing his stance.

"... They can be redeemed?"  His hand gripped around that lance. "This is your justice?" The shield's glow emboldened itself, the Knight taking a step forward. "Then where is their redemption? Where is the redemption for the lives they stole, the entire lineages ended under Greed's thumb? If this is your justice, tamer, then this is mine."

Once more, that lance pulsed with a powerful current of electricity - but even now, he held himself, a 'final' tone held in his words. "Raguelmon. If you've ever wanted to atone for anything, then start by removing your tamer from your back."

He leveled that weapon, right at the mega's chest. "Set her aside. Once I start again, this will be nothing but a slaughter."

Oh? At least the Raguelmon had some sense: seeing Tawna's nod, and her following instruction to the tamer, the Gallantmon lowered his lance. Brutal and unforgiving as he may had been to the two Digimon, the Knight still held no ill blood towards the human, nor did he want to kill any more than he needed to.

This did not mean, of course, that the Knight expected the two to merely surrender. The Gallantmon merely looked on without comment as Tawna spoke about surviving, about any last stand that they may have had. Thanks to this bit of mercy, Tawna had time to deposit the Mikemon on the ground, the doctor taking a few moments to get back up on his feet.

"Don't worry... I hear you." Tawna was in far too deep for the doctor to bother begging her to get away now - in fact, the Knight seemed almost equally interested in them at this point. In truth, though, Mikemon knew the math: it took four or five megas to stand on equal footing with one Super Mega, and without his crystal sphere, Tawna and Mikemon were about two-and-a-half megas too short to even challenge the Gallantmon.

"Have you two prepared yourselves?" Seeing the two square against him, the dragon stood astride, using his shield to cover his front. He was an intimidating force, to be certain - but off to the side of the fight, perhaps out of knowing earshot of any of the fighters, Haru's Digivice had started to give off a persistent beep.

Should she check the screen?

Synchronization Check...
OK

Data Check...
OK

Recognizing Form...

Somehow, 'something' felt right to the doctor. Seeing the Knight ready himself a short distance away, Mikemon gave a nod...

... And simply held out a hand, palm up, as if offering it to the Raguelmon. "Look at us... two peas in a pod, in more ways than one, aren't we?" Merely muttering that, the doc gave a grin.

"For her. For Haru."

Indeed - in this open expanse of 'infinite white', Tawna wasn't alone. What had seemed like an endless void expanding around in all directions was nothing but a dense fog, thickly surrounding her own data. This was how nearly every core would appear from its very depths, a central hub of data that both took in and produced code for the entire Digimon. What Tawna was looking at, for herself, wasn't just 'Tawna', it was also 'everything Tawna was' and 'everything Tawna could still be'.

For Tawna, this sensation was likely new.

For Mikemon? Well, he'd seen it before. As those words cut out into the void, a veil through the fog would pierce open. Just a stone's throw away, Tawna would see another fog, another core, though it would have a feel far different than her own. A dense, gray cloud orbited around, each part of the data feeling a touch different than the bit next to it. Indeed, the Meicoomon might have been sensing Greed's prior victims - just how many could their be? The sheer volume may have felt overwhelming, like the Meicoomon could easily 'trip' and add herself to it...

... But there was no danger. As Tawna's veil had pierced open, so too did the Doctor's. Mikemon stood, his back currently facing Tawna - but his appearance might not have been what she expected. He still took the form of Mikemon, the feline, but Barbamon's cloak (X) was draped over his shoulders, the golden mask clutched in his left hand. His attention faced forward, towards the center of his own core: one that was stark white, sparking with red energy, with one tight ring of gold data surrounding the core.

"To think I'd be looking at this again." Mikemon sighed, shaking his head: "This is my life's work: altering this core. Removing my Title as a Demon Lord, to try and exist 'normally' in this world." He chuckled at that thought, flicking that cloak, shaking his head. "But it seems this place won't forget who I was, no matter how much I try."

At that, the cat turned, simply giving a nod to the Meicoomon. She was on his side, after all - much easier to sense within his own data. "This is everything I am."

Should Tawna focus, she'd see: his acts as the Demon Lord, Greed. His time trying to conceal himself, the time he spent trying simply to hide, and his recent distaste for the world... as well as the good: the spirit wielders who changed his worldview. The Renamon that gave him a reason to live. Even the joyful experiences with the club... and that egg, the driving forces driving his will to stay alive.

Just as before, Mikemon would extend his hand outward - perhaps those scenes would be on in the background, or perhaps Tawna simply trusted him implicitly.

"For what its worth," the cat joked, "you would have been much better off in my court, than the angel's."