Bleached White [A Rank]

While Kenny wasn't exactly the most socially competent being known to man, he was good with body language at least, and made special note to avoid petting Fiora's antennae. At least she seemed to like it, if her own body language was telling him anything. Kenny chuckled a little lightly from Fiora's response, "You're a good person, Fiora." Frankly, considering his own past, it was good to know there were still good people like her in this world.

The hugs still had to wait.

But Akemi did raise a good point; from the look of things, Hououmon was clearly not going to go down without a fight. And Valt wasn't exactly coming out of this fight smelling of roses either. "Seems like it, apparently. The perpetrator must have added a little something in their program to make them crazy strong. Stronger than normal Digimon of that level, at least. I just hope Skadi and Anzu are OK, though." The thought of a Bleached Digimon akin to Hououmon effortlessly tearing them to shreds was not a pretty thought, especially considering Skadi's circumstances...

He had to put his mind off it for a bit. Skadi was smart, she wouldn't just blindly bumrush at a dangerous enemy in a serious situation for shit and giggles, wouldn't she? Instead, he turned his attention to Fiora once more, "I'm sure it will, Fiora. You're a clever girl, you certainly seem to know what you're doing." He affectionately chuckled once more as he stroked her head again, steering well clear of the antennae. A bit of optimism in a situation like this certainly wouldn't hurt, at least.

---

As Skadi skimmed through the newer diary, already her mind was formulating a lot more questions than the answers she managed to extract from the diary. A brief glance over to the older diary was enough to tell her that the Leomon in question (and presumably GrapLeomon, if the photo was anything to go by) was Astrid, presumably one of Stella's parents, meaning that, most likely, the Sealsdramon was the other parent... and that the mine they were running was basically bone dry by this point.

But then again? From what Skadi could gather from the diary, the unnamed Sealsdramon had run off to somewhere in Terminus, leaving Astrid and Stella behind in what seemed to be a dying town with a dry mine, all before a mysterious, white-winged 'Luminas Preacher' had arrived, apparently named 'Malakim', constantly holding sermons inside the mine, and seeking out volunteers for... 'something', as she put it... right before the diary ended abruptly. This started to raise quite a few eyebrows for the perplexed SilverGrademon.

Just who was Malakim, anyways? The bit about the white wings and the title of 'Luminas Preacher' heavily hinted at his species being an Angemon-species Digimon, and Luminas was still to shake off it's zealotous reputation even to this day. But then again, Malakim seemed to have a really good reputation to his name, at least according to the diary. But just why did the diary end abruptly like that before being locked away? There was no mention about the apparent plague ravaging the village after this, so what had happened after the last entry? Surly Malakim wasn't behind it, right?

Just as she hit the last page, however, her heart dropped as a giant shadow loomed over her. Oh shit, they caught her and Anzu in their little escapade inside, didn't they? She didn't exactly need to be told to move by Anzu, the shadow itself was enough of a warning to turn tail and make an escape before they turned into glorified cat chow.

In hindsight, saving the letter for later was a very wise move in the long run.

It was a good thing Geisterseele had lasted as long as it did, and Anzu melting back into the floor was enough of a cue for Skadi to follow suit, and the Sangloupmon. Her body phased through the walls without much issue, but she still made sure to make long, and quiet steps, just to not go a decibel too high, and accidentally grab the attention of either KaiserLeomon or DinoTigermon. With any luck, they would give both of them the slip like Hououmon before them.

Speaking of, she just hoped Valt was OK. Presumably, knowing him, he and Ilbert were practically running rings around the giant chicken.

As the bite strikes into Valt's shoulder, the Hououmon would attempt to dig its beak in; almost as though it was trying to bite his limb off completely! With the metallic portion of the upper beak, the edge was sharp on top of the small serrated teeth that lined its lower beak that made it difficult to pull away. Even with the Hououmon's tight grip on Valt, though...

... That only left it open to Valt's next attack.

As the V-shaped laser struck into the Hououmon's chest, the bird would be forced to stumble back and away; losing its grip on Valt on the process. Between the weight of the gravity, and the building damage from Valt? The bird was certainly reeling; unable to keep its balance, with the constant pressure pressing down upon it.

As Valt advanced to pin the holy bird down, it would screech and flail its wings; attempting to blindly strike at him, and its body even catching aflame as though it was attempting to use Eraser Wing a second time! And yet, it would not be able to fight Valt off as the collar - which seemed to change in size according to the bird underneath him - would be encircled around its neck.

The line around the middle of the collar would light up as it clicked closed, just as the Hououmon itself was enveloped with light - almost as though it were devolving on its own, as opposed to being forced by the collar. The once massive beast would shrink down smaller, and smaller yet...



... until a Rookie-sized - but still Bleached - Biyomon would be all that's left beneath Valt. The much smaller bird would at first appear dazed, as though disoriented by its sudden change in size... Yet, even with the insurmountable odds that were against it now, and even with its injuries, it kept trying to fight; attempting to bite down on Valt's hand, letting out chirp-like screeches, and attempting to weakly squirm away. Even with its fearlessness, though, its fighting back was to little avail against something as big as a Mega.

...

"I don't know if they're necessarily stronger or not, but... The fact that they ignore their own pain probably means they can fight for longer, before they reach the point that their body - more or less - gives out." Fiora mused out loud; watching as Valt wrestled down the massive Hououmon. "One of the first things that tells you that you've had enough, that it's time to stop fighting or pushing yourself, is pain; but if you're incapable of registering that pain..." She trailed off, the conclusion likely obvious already.

Being called a 'clever girl' by Kenny, though, would make Fiora blink a bit; a flustered hue coming over her expression, as her antennae briefly stiffened. "Ah... T-thank you," She'd mumble with a shy attempt at a smile; even if her mouth wasn't exactly made for expressing oneself, her smile could likely still be seen in the way the corners of her eyes crinkled.

When Ryouta spoke up to lightly chastize Kenny, though, Fiora would speak up as well; offering him a kind and patient look. "I-It's okay, Tatsu." She'd speak up - still using the alias that Ryouta introduced himself by - adding "I am technically a bit on the young side, so... compared to the rest of DAI; so it's not like he's wrong." The Wormmon chuckled sheepishly, scratching her cheek.

As she watched Valt manage to put the collar on the Hououmon, and devolve it down to Biyomon, though... Fiora seemed to take this as a cue to step away from Kenny and Ryouta, and evolve into her Stingmon form; quickly regaining her composure. "Bring the Biyomon in, and I'll be able to handle keeping it under control from here." She'd instruct Valt; gesturing thru the window for him to come over.

...

Things, however, would not be quite as smooth-going for Skadi and Anzu.

As Anzu and Skadi moved, Anzu would be able to slip under the door and out of the study without arousing any suspicion; being quite weightless, as a shadow.

Skadi, though, wasn't so lucky; she might be able to phase through walls, but she couldn't phase past the creaky floorboards! Even with her best attempts to sneak out of the room with long and careful strides, the weight of her armored form was enough for the floor to creak the slightest bit as she phased through the door...

... just in time for her to hear crashing behind her, glass breaking, and things tumbling aside as the beast - presumably - leaped into the room through the window! That wasn't all, though; the door behind her would crack and splinter, before a certain KaiserLeomon burst into the living room, attempting to give chase to the sounds it heard!

Inversely though, whereas Skadi would be completely invisible from sight, Anzu's moving shadow was plainly visible in the sunlight from the sun above, as she passed right in front of one of the bleached felines - the DinoTigermon! The beast stumbled back a bit - as if anticipating an attack - before watching the direction that Anzu had darted off to. Snarling sharply, it would give chase as well - roaring loudly!

What would the duo do, now? Engage the beasts, or attempt to flee?

Well, this past minute had been rather... interesting to say the least, and not just because the Valt vs Hououmon fight was starting to wind down. For while Fiora had taken Kenny's compliment on board with open arms (and a bit of embarrassment, but who could blame her), Ryouta wasn't exactly the most approving right about now, lightly scolding him for his (admittedly) less-than-professional comment. And right now, the young man wasn't exactly sure how to feel, "Oh, shit, sorry." He quietly muttered, feeling a little guilty.

Despite Fiora and Akemi quickly jumping to take the young tamer's side on the matter, attempting to reassure Ryouta it was no biggie, Kenny wasn't exactly just going to magically absolve himself of all blame right then and there, "No, Tatsu's right. I kinda should've worded it better myself. I'll admit, I'm not exactly the most social bird out there, and I kinda need to work on all of that in the foreseeable future, honestly, because, let's face facts, my verbal skills aren't exactly anything to write home about. Thanks for reminding me, man." He glanced at Ryouta with a reassuring smile and a light slap on the back to show no bad blood between them.

Was it his personal experiences and issues up and taking the wheel at this point? Probably. He wasn't exactly aware of every single social cue known to mankind, especially since he was quite the lonely kid growing up. But he knew he had to leave his personal issues in the back seat, at least until the mission ended and everybody could go home.

Right on cue, Valt had successfully downed the Hououmon - or Biyomon, as it devolved down to, and despite everything so far, it still refused to heel, wildly flailing around and 'attacking' Valt as much as it could. Instinctively, while Fiora, now a Stingmon, told the dragon knight to drag the assailant in, Kenny backed away as much as he could while still taking a good view of it, just so he could avoid it possibly nipping his arm off or the like. Personal experiences taught him Rookie levels could still pack a punch, even to a fleshy human.

But those dead eyes of the Rookie level though... "Welp, that thing's not going to be leaving my nightmares for the next few days, as far as I know." He quietly quipped as he looked at it, but a sense of nervousness still remained inside of him. What if it lashed out at the humans and tried to tear them to shreds?

He wasn't taking any chances. 

Then his comm-link started up. And his heart started to pound like crazy.

---

Skadi's lightweight armour in this form better suited her well for combat, but it was still armour, and it still made plenty of undesirable noise, much to the disdain of both Digimon. She cursed herself internally as the Bleached KaiserLeomon burst through the door, why couldn't her armour be more quiet, again?

Needless to say, Skadi wasn't exactly going to be wasting her energy on what looked like to be an uphill battle. Her brief view of the Valt vs Hououmon battle showed her that these Digimon seemed to just shrug off pain. And Dinotigermon, a Mega of all things, opted to join was pretty much a cue for her to get the hell out of here as fast as she could, sprinting over to the wall and to the exit as fast as she could, hopefully outpacing the KaiserLeomon in the process.

Quietly, she whispered into her own D-Nexus, "Kenny? Mind swiping Chameleon Cape for me, please? I'm dealing with quite a huge problem right now that Geisterseele won't be able to deal with." She glanced over to the KaiserLeomon giving chase.

Back in Ilbert, Kenny nodded a little nervously, his eyes still glued to the Biyomon, "Alright, one Chameleon Cape, coming right up!" He muttered again, swiping the card through his D-Nexus, infusing Skadi with the card's ability in question. But to the naked eye, it looked like nothing had changed about Skadi. At all. She was still invisible, what was even the point then?

Quietly, she pointed at KaiserLeomon, and right on cue, 2 pairs of chains rose out from the woodboards, not uttering a single sound, but coiling around the metallic lion's legs. Only a moment later would they try and tighten around them, keeping KaiserLeomon stuck for a few short, valuable moments. And that's where Skadi's little gambit kicked in.

Unlike Geisterseele, Chameleon Cape didn't break when the user (read: Skadi) used an attack. Skadi still remained invisible, even when the gem's effects wore off. It was a sort of failsafe for when Geisterseele wasn't able to finish the job. And hopefully, with KaiserLeomon stuck, Skadi would phase through the walls safely and make a break for it, still keeping one good eye on Anzu at all times as the latter sought out shadows to hide in. With any luck, those 2 ferocious felines would be off the recon team's (metaphorical) tail. 

---

To stop herself from making herself visible again, Skadi uses the card Chameleon Cape to take over from when Geisterseele breaks from her using Ethereal Chains to trap KaiserLeomon for a good few moments, giving her an ample chance of escape.

Ethereal Chains (RAM Upgrade): Skadi summons 2 pairs of ghostly chains silently rising from the ground to coil around the opponents feet (4 if the opponent has 4 feet, for flavor purposes only). Once trapped, they are bound for one turn, unable to move from the spot or turn around, but are still free to attack, just as long as the attack doesn't involve using their feet. Flying/airborne opponents will be pulled to the ground by the chains. Does not interfere with the Buildup passive. (2 post cooldown)

Card used (1/5):
JT-28
Card Name: Chameleon Cape
Type: Modify
Rank: Gold
Duration: 3 Posts
Effect: The target Digimon gains a cloak that allows them to blend into their surroundings, becoming virtually invisible for three turns.

Passives:
Leaps and Bounds (Non-combat Passive): Skadi can leap very, very high. Meaning she can scale houses and buildings with a single leap. She is also capable of parkour in this form, and is generally a very fast, very flexible creature.

Ethereal Being (Non-combat Passive): In this form, Skadi can change her form from solid to ethereal. This can allow her to pass through walls, and other solid objects. However, this does not automatically give her immunity from attacks, and she takes damage like any other Digimon.

Buildup (Passive): For every post that Skadi does not directly attack the opponent with an ability, she gains a token. This token increases her attack by 10%, up to a total count of 4 tokens. These tokens cannot be taken off by the opponent, nor can these boosts be reduced by any attacks or passives from any opponent.
(For example, simply using her swords to parry the opponent or merely swinging her sword to attack will not affect Buildup. Using Dual Striker or Sliver Breaker does)

Keen Eye (Passive): Being a skilled swordswoman has it’s benefits. So that means that she gets a 1.3x boost to accuracy. This also allows her to see perfectly fine where she otherwise wouldn’t, including fog, smoke, and other weather conditions.

Buffs/Debuffs:
Buildup (+10% Atk.): 1/4 tokens
Chameleon Cape (Invisibility): 1/3

Cooldowns:
Ethereal Chains: Waiting (0/2)

As the bleached Biyomon was passed over to Fiora, the bird would almost immediately put up a fight once more; loudly squawking, even against the grip of a Champion. The Wormmon-turned-Stingmon would glance down at the Biyomon in what might've been sympathy, before producing what looked to be silk; using the threads of silk she produced to bind the Biyomon's limbs. "I don't know how much healing I'll be able to do for him - I'm more used to healing organic Digimon - but I'll do my best, once this little one is handled." She'd confirm to Valt all the whilst.

It, perhaps, was not the most dignified of ways to keep the digimon under control; but she had a feeling that the alternative would be to let it simmer in one of the other cars, which... Wasn't much of a solution, really. Especially not if it decided it wanted to tear everything apart, in its rampage.

Once the Biyomon was bound and under control, Fiora would set it on one of the seats in the car, before stepping outside to mend Ilbert's wounds; digivolving to the form of a DinoBeemon, and patching it up with tough and sturdy silk; holding together and filling in any cracks and punctures in the outer armor of the GrandLocomon. The beneficial data that laced the silk, too, would help Ilbert mend over time.

It'd take a bit of time for her to return inside, but once she was done mending the massive train digimon, she would devolve back to Stingmon, and return indoors.

And already, it was plain to see that the others here were unsettled by the Biyomon; Fiora peering to the other humans briefly, and then to Valt. "... I can't help but wonder, myself, if letting them revert would be kinder to them." She'd respond to Valt, sitting back on one of the seats next to the Biyomon, so that she could keep an eye on it. "But... The simple answer is not always the best, either. If we can study them, and figure out what went on, then... We may be able to save these digimon, as you put it, and help them live better lives."

At the question of calling someone, Fiora would think for a second, before nodding. "Go for it, you seem like you need it." She'd respond; her tone soft and kind.


... In calling Cassie, it'd take a second for her to pick up. But, when she did, her voice would chirp in loud and clear from the other end. "Hey, Valt! Done already?" She'd question; sounding curious and surprised, as though not expecting Valt to call her so soon during a mission. Yet, she still sounded plenty pleased to hear from Valt; giggling softly as she commented "That was pretty fast, eheh..!"

....

Meanwhile, things seemed to be getting chaotic and dicey for the duo in the village; though it seemed that the two had a plan for getting the hell out of dodge, and away from the feline duo.

Starting with Skadi... As she exited the Mayor's house, the KaiserLeomon would not be far behind; bursting out through the otherwise locked front door, splinters and larger bits of wood being sent flying in its midst. Without sight to rely on, the beast appeared to be trying to follow Skadi by sound; even the soft whisper of her voice causing its eyes to snap in her direction, a snarl bubbling up from its throat as it tensed to pounce forwards.

However, as it attempted to continue chasing after her... A snag would seem to stop it in its tracks. Or, more appropriately, four chains that would coil around its legs; rooting it to the spot! The feline beast growled; trying to pull away from the chains that bound it, but to little avail! It seemed that Skadi was home free, to find a place to lay low and hide, until things passed over...!

... At least, that's what it looked like, until the KaiserLeomon began attacking. A large burst of bright holy energy would form from the two cannons on the beast's shoulders, which it then would fire into the sky - above the buildings, above Skadi, and above even Anzu and the DinoTigermon chasing her!

Once it reached its apex, the energy fired off would suddenly split into a multitude of smaller bursts, which proceeded to rain down upon the area; smashing small holes into roofs, scorching the earth beneath them, and threatening to even strike Anzu and Skadi both, in the midst of the energy raining down!


Then came Anzu and DinoTigermon. There were plenty of corners to turn, but corners that led to shadows was harder to say, given that the corners turned led onto what looked to be roads through the town; open, not very secretive. What Anzu likely needed was an alleyway; but that could be risky. Not every alleyway led anywhere, and if the Dinotigermon was able to find her, she may very well be cornered, and...

... No, it didn't look like she'd have much time to think! Energy was building in the DinoTigermon's throat and maw, a telltale sign of an incoming attack. Even with the energy from the KaiserLeomon raining down on the area, it seemed this feline wasn't keen on letting Anzu get away so easily!

On the right would be a pathway, thinner than the other open roads they passed; the alleyway that she might need, and it looked as though it'd be shaded from the sun above! If she decided to take this turn, getting away from the DinoTigermon's attack, and perhaps even taking shelter from the KaiserLeomon's attack as well, would be a cinch.

But, if she didn't, then she'd have to dodge a sudden blast of holy energy coming her way...!

---

- KaiserLeomon is tangled up by Ethereal Chains and rooted.
- However, not keen on letting Skadi get away, it fires off a White Rain upon the area!
- DinoTigermon, meanwhile, attempts to use White Storm to blast at Anzu!

KaiserLeomon's Combat Log

DinoTigermon's Combat Log

OOC: Because I'm on holiday right now, and I can't bring my laptop with me, be warned this post is gonna be a little lower quality than usual, so mind any errors and typos and the like.

Friendly reminder phoneposting is bad and awful and can die in a fire for all I care

---

Normally, Kenny would feel relieved and happy as Ryouta reassuringly returned the favour and pat his own back. But, with his own morbid curiosity having taken hold of the reins off himself, and with a nasty iron grip with no signs of letting go, to boot, his focus still directly was locked onto the dead-eyed Biyomon.

Even when the aggravated avian was successfully bounded up by Fiora's tough webs, Kenny still kept a good distance away from it, however. That beak looked like it could tear flesh off bone without breaking much of a sweat, like a piranha to it's victim-turned-meal.

His trance was quickly broken off by Valt asking him and Akemi to check on their partners, even if only for a brief moment. And immediately, Kenny felt a little conflicted. For one, he wanted to know Skadi was perfectly OK, that she wasn't willingly throwing herself into combat for shits and giggles. But on the other? For all he knew, Skadi was still probably sneaking around, and the last thing either one wanted was to attract unwanted attention, especially from something just as, if not more, nasty than Hououmon.

Finally, Kenny gave a sad sigh as he glanced to Valt, "I'm sorry, I'm in agreement with Akemi here. I'll admit I want to make sure Skadi's OK, but… I don't want to be a disturbance and accidentally attract something as nasty as… that over to them." He gestured to the struggling Biyomon in the binds. God, how he desperately wanted to ensure his friend was OK, that she wasn't being torn limb by limb as they spoke by a Hououmon-level threat.

But on the subject of 'saving' these Digimon, however… he paused for a few brief moments before throwing his own hat into the ring concerning the matter, "I just hope we can save them, honestly, or at least improve their quality of life as much as we can for them. Any little bit of help can easily go a long way."

"I don't know how I'd be able to contribute to helping, if I can at all, considering… me, but they'll need all the help they can get. After all, at the end of the day, they're still people like you and I, just… not exactly in the best position right about now, to put it lightly." His tone still was a little sad in nature, considering during his childhood, he himself wasn't exactly treated as a human, much less a person by plenty of those around him.

Frankly, Valt needed all the rest and relief he could get. As much as Kenny wanted to talk to Cassie himself to help lighten the mood, Valt simply needed it more.

---

That KaiserLeomon was practically out for blood at this point, effortlessly breaking through the wall like it was made out of soggy paper, paying no heed to the carnage it was causing with its sheer strength alone. All the more reason Skadi knew that directly engaging it was not a good idea.

But as she glanced back at the dead-eyed predator giving chase to her, she quietly uttered a small "Yes!" as the chains binded the Perfect-level to the spot easily, keeping it in place, and bound to the spot for several precious moments as she ran, leaving the monster stuck and her free to escape.

Her heart started to sink, however, as a pair of white lights started to shine from the KaiserLeomon's twin cannons. Instinctively, she raised her arm, ready to shield herself at a moment's notice, all the while shooting another quick glance over to Anzu, opting to take shelter instead inside the shadows until the way stronger DinoTigermon hopefully took it's leave.

KaiserLeomon was smart. And Skadi had to outsmart it.

Glancing back to the KaiserLeomon, having finished up charging and now proceeding to fire off a powerful beam of light up into the heavens above, Skadi kept on guard as she ran, keeping tabs on just what were they doing as part of their attack.

She got her answer as the massive bean exploded in mid-air, followed by a massive rain of light striking down onto the ground, and anything unlucky enough to be caught within it, up to and including the Mayor's house, already having gotten quite a bit of damage from the initial chase, to put it lightly

As the beams came flying directly towards Skadi, however, she raised her arm over her head, as an invisible dome formed over her equally invisible body just before the beams struck her. The beams themselves bounced off the shield with absolute ease, completely shrugging off Skadi's share of the assault… and was now flying directly over back to the trapped KaiserLeomon, threatening to damage it instead as the reflected beams started to come flying back down onto it.

If there was any consolation for it, after the rain of beams died out, the chains attached to the KaiserLeomon disappeared, freeing it once more. But all the while, Skadi was now looking for potential cover of her own, opposite Anzu's, and ready to dive in and roll inside at a moment's notice. Rather than directly engage with a duel with the cyborg lion, however, she hoped that the reflected beams would serve as much of a distraction to make her own escape easier, to hopefully completely lose the beast and return with nary a scratch upon her armour.

All the while, she internally cursed herself. What if Valt thought she and Anzu intentionally provoked the felines or directly engaged with combat with them. What would he say? The nasty burn on Anzu's leg was pretty telltale evidence that they were caught up in combat with some of the residents. Not to mention the state of the house they were leaving it in.

---

In a desperate bid to avoid the bleached KaiserLeomon, Skadi uses Reflective Shield to deflect her assailant's assault back at them. Hopefully, should the reflected attack hit, Skadi will have more than enough time to find shelter and lay low until the coast is clear.

Reflective Shield: Skadi summons a clear circular shield that can protect her from 1 normal Ultimate attack (3 Champion level attacks). If a ranged attack hits this shield, then it will automatically be reflected back to the opponent with the damage equal to what it was going to hit Skadi with. If a physical attack hits this shield, then the opponent takes 30% of the damage from the intended attack. This attack does not interfere with the Buildup passive. (3 post cooldown)

Passives:
Leaps and Bounds (Non-combat Passive): Skadi can leap very, very high. Meaning she can scale houses and buildings with a single leap. She is also capable of parkour in this form, and is generally a very fast, very flexible creature.

Ethereal Being (Non-combat Passive): In this form, Skadi can change her form from solid to ethereal. This can allow her to pass through walls, and other solid objects. However, this does not automatically give her immunity from attacks, and she takes damage like any other Digimon.

Buildup (Passive): For every post that Skadi does not directly attack the opponent with an ability, she gains a token. This token increases her attack by 10%, up to a total count of 4 tokens. These tokens cannot be taken off by the opponent, nor can these boosts be reduced by any attacks or passives from any opponent
(For example, simply using her swords to parry the opponent or merely swinging her sword to attack will not affect Buildup. Using Dual Striker or Sliver Breaker does)

Keen Eye (Passive): Being a skilled swordswoman has it’s benefits. So that means that she gets a 1.3x boost to accuracy. This also allows her to see perfectly fine where she otherwise wouldn’t, including fog, smoke, and other weather conditions.

Buffs/Debuffs:
Buildup (+20% Atk): 2/4 tokens
Chameleon Cape (Invisibility): 2/3

Cooldowns:
Ethereal Chains: 0/2
Reflective Shield: 0/3

Fiora would quietly nod her agreement to Kenny, about improving the quality of life of these Bleached Digimon, and potentially saving them. "We'll try our best," She'd murmur; peering back to the Biyomon, who had taken to trying to chew on the silk that bound it - though to little avail, given the silk's champion-level strength. "These aren't the first anomalous digimon we've had to help, and... They likely won't be the last, either."

Kenny's doubt over how much he could contribute, though, would make Fiora shake her head. "I think that you're doing, well, just fine." She'd respond softly; glancing over to the young man. Even if it was difficult for her to emote, as a Stingmon, her eyes had that happy squint to them, similarly to before, when she was a Wormmon. "You've been supporting your partner, and giving her the edge she needs to get by in a dangerous territory, haven't you?"

Valt, too, raised some good questions, though... "... Removing anomalous data outright can be a rather... Risky procedure, depending on just how much data present is anomalous, and just how deeply rooted it is." Fiora responded, thinking hard. "I wouldn't be able to give any good explanations as to how we might handle this, though, until we better know the nature of these Bleached Digimon on a deeper level. Different kinds of data can behave very differently, after all."


"Vaaaaalt..!" Cassie half-whined in response, sounding rather plaintive and fussy. "It's hard to not worry, when you're calling me while you're hurt! Heal up soon, and come home safe when you're all done, okay? I wanna swim lots with you, later!"

Her voice would briefly pause to giggle softly, though she'd speak up once more; responding to Valt's question next. "I'm doing alright, though; just watching lots of movies! I can't wait to watch them with you, too, later~!"

...

As the beams of light rained down up on Skadi, they would easily bounce off of her reflective shield; being sent every which way in the immediate area, punching holes into and scorching nearby walls and the ground! This, of course, included the chained KaiserLeomon; the beast being unable to dodge, and instead being left to snarl as its own attack was turned against it, and burned into the armor that formed the exterior of the leonine digimon.

As the attack resolved though, and once Skadi was off running... So, too, would the KaiserLeomon be off; giving chase, and letting out a great roar that was sure to shake Skadi's resolve!

Even with the KaiserLeomon close on her tail, though... One thing that Skadi had, as an advantage, was her ethereal nature. Buildings were all around, given that they were in the middle of an abandoned town. It was hard to say what she might find, if she phased her way into the wrong building, but given that her pursuer lacked that same skill...

Regardless of whatever Skadi attempted, in getting away, though... The KaiserLeomon was a hunter all the same; and would, blindly, attempt to leap at her. Even if it couldn't see where she was exactly - it would still try its hardest to catch her, with a basic tackle!


Anzu, meanwhile, would have ducked away into an alleyway. The space was a little bit small and cramped, and it - much as one might fear - ended in a dead end. However, there was enough of an overhang above from the roofs of the buildings for it to be completely shaded; allowing the Sangloupmon near-complete invisibility, whilst Shadowform'd in here.

The DinoTigermon would be close behind, however; coming to a stop before the alleyway, and slowly stalking in. It knew that she was here, somewhere; but the question of where was another question. The feline's ears would briefly flick, as it sniffed the air; slowly gazing around, a predator on the hunt.

Staring at a pile of boxes, in one of the far corners of the alleyway, the beast would slowly stalk towards them - a low rumble escaping it - as it lifted a mighty paw, and smashed it down into the boxes! With ease, the flimsy cardboard would shred under its might; but there was no Anzu under them to be seen. Snarling, the DinoTigermon would glance around briefly, before returning to sniffing around.

It seemed that, for now, she was safe; but with the feline's sense of smell, would she be safe forever...?

---

- KaiserLeomon is damaged by its own attack, as a result of Skadi's Reflective Shield
- As soon as it is released from the chains, it lets out a King's Roar, and attempts to - whilst chasing her - blindly tackle Skadi in a basic attack!
- Anzu is able to evade DinoTigermon for now, in the meantime; but it is still searching!

KaiserLeomon's Combat Log

DinoTigermon's Combat Log

Well, things had gotten a little lopsided for poor Kenny so far, and that was without factoring Skadi as a whole. He fully expected a whole mission dealing with what looked to be a localized zombie apocalypse in a small village. Logically, the last thing he'd expect would be any possible relations or parallels to his own personal circumstances haunting his own past uncermously waltzing up to the forefront just to fuck with him personally.

Perhaps he burned down one puppy orphanage too many in a past life. Or maybe God, Buddha and Arceus just wanted a few quick easy 'yuks' at his expense, who knew?

Even in the form of a giant, powerful looking bugman who looked like she could snap his spine clean in two like a rotten twig, Kenny could still spot that kind look in Fiora's eyes as she reassured him. There was no denying it, as much as he hated to admit it, Fiora was telling the truth. He had been helping Skadi in any way he could, and he had been a big help in general to the possible success to the mission, all things considered. And… yep, now he was starting to feel a few tears starting to weil up in his eyes uncontrollably.

He just wasn't used to being complemented by others very well, especially by strangers.

Still trying to keep up a calm disposition, wiping off some of the tears with his sleeve and taking a few deep breaths, unable to stop a few wayward tears from escaping, he gave a quiet sigh, as he tilted his head down, "Yeah, I… guess you're right, Fiora. I have been helping her however I can. Admittedly, I'm not exactly psychic, although I do wish I was sometimes. Could save us a whole world of trouble when we get the chance." He chuckled quietly at his own little joke. He had to drag a little bit of levity back to the situation.

Still, he listened to Valt and Fiora discuss further about how to handle the Bleached Digimon properly, all the while he found his glance drifting back to the Biyomon, like a moth to a very dangerous flame. Then Akemi just had to mention that the 2 might have crossed paths with at least one of them, and considering Hououmon earlier… he felt his heart sink right into his toes. Hououmon at least had the benefit of 2 other Megas dueling with them. Skadi couldn't even hit that yet. What if she and Anzu crossed paths with something that practically eclipsed Hououmon in every way possible?

His eyes quietly shifted back to Valt, holding up 3 fingers to him and Akemi. His slight nod, while indicating that yes, he did understand the UlforceVeedramon's intentions, betrayed a heavy feeling of nervousness and worry bubbling up inside of him, all his thoughts on his own partner, along with the odd twiddling of his fingers. Oh, God only knew how much he wanted to call upon his partner just to check on her right then and there. His D-Nexus just sat there in his palms, practically taunting him with that dangerous temptation.

Swallowing up the frogs in his throat, he took another deep breath, his eyes constantly shifting between Valt and the souless-looking Biyomon. He weakly raised a shaky hand to try and grab the dragon knight's attention, "Hey Valt? Sorry if it sounds a little selfish, but can you please tell Cassie I said 'hi', please?" He asked him, feeling the frogs coming back inside his throat.

---

Skadi's eyes were practically darting everywhere at this point, between the buildings of the abandoned town, the KaiserLeomon, and the rest of the area around them. Anzu was now completely out of sight at this point, not even leaving a visible shadow or telltale signs she was there in the first place.

But losing sight of Anzu was the least of her worries right about now. She shot a glance back to the KaiserLeomon as the rays of light fell upon the lion. But it didn't even flinch once. Apart from the threatening snarl it gave out, it barely reacted to what should've been a dangerous assault it took head on.

Something was wrong about this monster.

Regardless, she continued her mad dash away from KaiserLeomon, hoping, just hoping, that she gave herself just enough time to escape, maybe find time to recuperate and seek out and save Anzu from being torn apart by DinoTigermon. To get back without dragging another Bleached over to Ilbert and the group. Yggdrasil knew that Valt already had his own hands full with Hououmon. He didn't need to deal with another one.

Yet as she ran, a loud roar rumbled around all across the area, courtesy of her assailant. Quickly she went to block her ears, but in the progress, she proceeded to stumble and trip a little on the ground, slowing her down quite a bit as she felt the roar reverberate all around her armour, and her physical structure getting a little weaker.

And to make matters worse? Her little stumble inadvertently gave a little bit too much time to KaiserLeomon, who was now starting to edge a little too close to her for her own liking, barely tailgating her invisible form. She readied herself as she shot another glance to the cyborg, who was now pouncing at her directly.

On cue, Skadi attempted to dodge roll to the left to avoid the KaiserLeomon's attack, but, almost like an involuntary reaction, a cold, goosebump-forming, but ultimately harmless chill could be felt on both Digimon as hard ice started to freeze all over Skadi's entire body, giving her just a little bit more armour to help withstand whatever KaiserLeomon could possibly throw at her. She felt a pair of front claws strike her across her sides as she tried to swerve out of the way, sending her tumbling and rolling across the floor for a good few meters.

Thankfully, the ice broke her fall upon impact, to say nothing of the little bit of extra defense helping to lessen the sting of the basic attack. She couldn't hesitate to stick around, however, as she quickly pulled herself up, before sprinting inside the nearest building she could find. Something, anything would do, if only to buy herself a few extra valuable seconds.

Hopefully, she could find something that could hold out for a few valuable moments, if not any building. To make matters worse, Chameleon Cape had finally worn out, and as the cloak disappeared from Skadi's body, the SilverGrademon was visible once more to the naked eye. And she would keep dashing, hoping that the KaiserLeomon would end up either tire itself out eventually and give up the chase, and/or knock itself out from trying to bash against one wall too many.

But all those thoughts about Valt swirling around her head started to get louder, and refused to settle. All she hoped for, had he come across the carnage, that he at least understood that neither she nor Anzu wanted to engage with these creepy beasts. Frantically, as she ran, she tapped on Geisterseele once more several times, praying something would happen.

Nothing happened.

---

Skadi is briefly fazed from the effects of King's Roar, but just before KaiserLeomon hits her, she uses Frostcloak, negating the defense drop, but only giving her a +10% defense boost instead (Frostcloak can't remove any active debuffs Skadi has on her, so technically the defense debuffs still applies). She barely avoids being captured, however, and tries to dash through a building.

Chameleon Cape wears off this post.

Frostcloak: Skadi freezes over her body to create herself an additional set of armour, giving herself additional defence from her opponents. This ability automatically bumps up all her defences up by 30%, and prevents her from being affected from any debuffs from anything the opponent may have for 3 posts. (3 post cooldown)

Passives:
Leaps and Bounds (Non-combat Passive): Skadi can leap very, very high. Meaning she can scale houses and buildings with a single leap. She is also capable of parkour in this form, and is generally a very fast, very flexible creature.

Ethereal Being (Non-combat Passive): In this form, Skadi can change her form from solid to ethereal. This can allow her to pass through walls, and other solid objects. However, this does not automatically give her immunity from attacks, and she takes damage like any other Digimon.

Buildup (Passive): For every post that Skadi does not directly attack the opponent with an ability, she gains a token. This token increases her attack by 10%, up to a total count of 4 tokens. These tokens cannot be taken off by the opponent, nor can these boosts be reduced by any attacks or passives from any opponent.
(For example, simply using her swords to parry the opponent or merely swinging her sword to attack will not affect Buildup. Using Dual Striker or Sliver Breaker does)

Keen Eye (Passive): Being a skilled swordswoman has it’s benefits. So that means that she gets a 1.3x boost to accuracy. This also allows her to see perfectly fine where she otherwise wouldn’t, including fog, smoke, and other weather conditions.

Buffs/Debuffs:
Buildup (+30% Atk): 3/4 tokens
Chameleon Cape (Invisibility): 3/3
Frostcloak (+10% Def due to King's Roar only): 1/3

Cooldowns:
Ethereal Chains: 1/2
Reflective Shield: 1/3