Digimon Sundial

Chapter 23: The one who refused to die

The sun was high in the sky, the sky was blue, with some smoke cutting it in half as it disappeared in the distance.

The smoke was coming from the destruction caused after the attack by the Mail Birdramons in Suzaku City, they managed to catch the defenses by surprise, and a major disaster would've been warrantied if it wasn't for the intervention of both Levantemon and Airdizmon.

The latter, though, wasn't focusing on the city, nor on the place where the last remaining Mailbirdramon escaped to. The bat's eyes were dead focused on the remains of the pier of the city.

Illuminated head on by the sun in the distance, the place was almost completely empty, the water in there being tranquil as it reflected the sunlight. There was only one individual there.

Its shape aerodynamic, a fin in the back, and a harpoon in its nose, 2 eyes peeked below the bubble-shaped canopy at the top of the Digimon.

"Submarimon..." -Kept whispering Airdizmon to himself, he didn't know how to react, was that really the friend he shared so many adventures with in the past? The person he owed everything to? And the one he lost tragically in that ill-fated quest?

Aspen could hear the almost unaudible whisper, he could only try and hold Airdizmon's hand as the bat gently touched ground and allowed him to get down, they were a few meters away from the edge of the pier.

The Submarimon seemed to deviate his attention to them, with Airdizmon taking a step back, but then, after both look at each other for a while, Aspen could feel how the bat relaxed his body and sighed, looking down.

Then, Levantemon came flying, landing alongside Airdizmon without deviating his sight of Submarimon.

"He's not one of ours." -The mantis turns to Airdizmon- "...Do you know them?"

"No." -Airdizmon's answer susprises Aspen, after seeing the bat's reaction, he though that Submarimon was his friend.

"I see... I'll talk to them" -Levantemon walks to the edge to stay face to face with Submarimon, while Airdizmon and Aspen watch from behind- "My name is Ventomon, current form is Levantemon. I'm the leader of Green Wind, the force in control of..."

While Levantemon talked with the newcomer, Aspen noticed Airdizmon still looking down, and he couldn't resist to ask.

"Airdizmon... Isn't that Submarimon? Won't you go talk to him?"

"I though the same when I saw 'em, but... That's not the Submarimon I knew..." -Airdizmon slightly smiles to Aspen as he digievolves back to Calizmon, the bat sighs and resumes talking- "...My friend was silver, he also had yellow and violet parts... But that one..."

As the Submarimon spoke with Levantemon, Calizmon could clearly notice their colors, not even the strong sun could hide the darker tone of their surface.

"That's clearly dark gray, and I can tell the green and black tones from here... That guy even has a whole stripe going across his body." -Calizmon points at a noticeable black stripe running on the side of the Submarimon, almost at the same height as the ears. -"It's completely different."

"Oh... I see..." -Aspen says as he sees the Submarimon, then noticing how Calizmon slowly turns around to leave- "...I'm here to talk if you need to, I know this must be difficult to you."

"Thanks, Aspen." -Calizmon smiles to Aspen, still willing to leave- "...But its not a big deal, really... There are a few Submarimons roaming around this world, guess I just got a bit nostalgic with all we've been throught these days."

"I don't blame you." -Aspen smiles back as he also turns around.

"Information? What kind of information?" -Before leaving with Calizmon, Aspen could hear a curious Levantemon talking with the Submarimon- "And how did you know Green Wind was here? We took this city just recently."