Episode 45: Severe Thunderstorm!

The sun rose over the digital horizon at 7:00 AM, casting a warm, golden glow into Flora’s room. It looked like a perfect day, but for Flora, the morning started with a crisis of fashion and boundaries.

"Flora? What are we going to do today?" Yuramon asked, hovering near the bed.

"I don't know," Flora muttered, stretching. "It’s beautiful out, so maybe—HEY WAIT! WHERE'S MY FAVORITE GREEN HALFSHIRT!?"

The door creaked open, and Nyaromon bounced in, dragging a piece of green fabric. "I used it as a towel, is that okay?"

Flora didn't answer with words. She lunged. "GIVE ME BACK MY SHIRT!"

The two wrestled across the floor in a flurry of limbs and fur until Flora finally reclaimed her prize. "I told you never to take my clothes without asking!" Flora huffed, quickly changing out of her nightgown and into her signature daytime outfit. "And please, don't ever use my skirt to dry off."

"Okay, okay," Nyaromon grumbled, smoothing her fur. "Can we get to our preferred forms now?"

Flora grabbed her Digivice. "Digivolving... now!" With a press of a button, her partners shimmered and grew into Palmon and Gatomon. After a quick word with her parents, the trio headed out to enjoy the morning.

They weren't alone for long. Keith approached them, accompanied by Sqwabmon. "Hey Flora... whatcha doing?" He asked, looking a bit shy.

Flora blushed, standing up quickly. "Uhh... nothing."

"Yeah, a whole lot of nothing," Sqwabmon joked. "We came by for a picnic. Don't worry, Keith’s eyes were bigger than his stomach, so we have enough for everyone."

"I haven't had breakfast yet," Keith admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Tuna sandwiches!" Sqwabmon announced, holding up the basket. Gatomon’s eyes lit up instantly. As they sat near a pond to eat, the sky was a flawless blue. Gatomon even climbed a tree to protect her sandwich from a curious squirrel. "No, this is my sandwich," she hissed protectively.

But the peace was shattered in an instant. The blue sky turned a bruised, unnatural black.

In the nearby Forest City—a bustling metropolis of Felincicus Digimon that resembled a miniature New York—panic erupted. Lightning began to strike the skyscrapers, and fierce winds tore through the streets.

"We must get out of here!" a man yelled, grabbing his children as they fled the city center. High above, standing on the roof of the tallest building, two massive figures loomed through the storm.

"Soon, there will be nothing left of this pathetic world," one of them roared. He was a mechanical titan of thunder, armored in dark plates. "After this planet, we take Aqualia, then Earth. Both dimensions will belong to us and the Anti-Royal Knights!"

"Ours? We're getting paid forty dollars an hour to do this," the second one remarked, his voice carrying on the howling wind. He was a master of the gale, sleek and green with massive blade-arms.

"That's Raijinmon and Fuujinmon," Sqwabmon whispered, trembling. "The Elemental Brothers."

"We can't wait for the others!" Flora shouted, her eyes fixed on the darkening city. "We have to deal with this ourselves!"

"DIGIVOLUTION!"

"Sqwabmon Digivolve to... Chickmon!"

"Chickmon Digivolve to... Birdmon!"

Flora and Keith sprinted toward the city, dodging falling debris. They ducked into a skyscraper, reaching the elevators. Flora jammed the button repeatedly. "Damn! The power's out!" she yelled, kicking the steel doors in frustration.

"Let’s try another way," Gatomon said, looking up the elevator shaft. "Hello? Digivolve me!"

"Alright! You don't have to bite my head off," Flora retorted.

"Gatomon Digivolve to... ANGEWOMON!"

Angewomon scooped up Flora and Keith, flying them rapidly toward the roof. "I'm sorry about being short with you, Flora," Angewomon admitted as they ascended. "I’m just ticked because I couldn't finish my tuna sandwich. No one gets in the way of a cat and her food!"

"Yeah, well, you’re an Angel now, not a cat," Flora replied, gripping Angewomon’s shoulders as they breached the rooftop.

They landed face-to-face with the brothers. "Puny Felincicus," Raijinmon gloated. "You can never beat us. We are the masters of the storm. Even our brother, Suijinmon, couldn't match our combined power."

"We'll see about that!" Flora cried.

"Palmon Digivolve to... TOGEMON!"

"Birdmon Digivolve to... OWLMON!"

The battle was a frantic exchange of energy.

"Needle Spray!" Togemon roared.

"Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon fired bolt after bolt of holy light.

"Wind Slice!" Owlmon added his wings to the assault.

The attacks slammed into the brothers, but as the smoke cleared, Raijinmon was laughing. "I hardly even knew I was being attacked."

"Give up and save us the energy," Fuujinmon added.

The brothers counter-attacked. "Black Storm!" Raijinmon unleashed a torrent of dark lightning that sent Togemon and Angewomon crashing back. Fuujinmon followed up with a "Malt Cyclone," nearly throwing them off the roof.

"We need more power!" Flora screamed.

"Togemon Digivolve to... LILLYMON!"

"Owlmon Digivolve to... ARCHYOPMON!"

The fight escalated, but even as Lillymon fired her Flower Cannon and Archyopmon slashed with ancient claws, the brothers remained unfazed. "That tickles!" Fuujinmon mocked, striking back with his Critical Arm.

"It’s not working! We have to go Mega!"

"Lillymon Mega Digivolve to... ROSEMON!"

"Angewomon Mega Digivolve to... MAGNADRAMON!"

"Archyopmon Mega Digivolve to... RAPTORMON!"

Rosemon danced through the storm, her Roses Rapier clashing against Fuujinmon’s blades. Magnadramon called down the Apocalypse, striking Raijinmon with bolts of celestial energy. For a moment, it seemed they had the upper hand, but the brothers combined their powers again.

"Malt Cyclone!"

"Black Storm!"

The dual-elemental blast was too much. The three Megas took massive damage, their forms flickering until they de-digivolved all the way back to their Rookie and Champion states.

"Gatomon! Are you okay!?" Flora ran to her partner, who lay panting on the cold concrete.

"We're okay..." Gatomon whispered. "Even if we die... there will be more..."

A single tear fell from Flora’s cheek, landing on Gatomon’s head. In that moment of pure grief and love, the data between them harmonized. The world seemed to stop.

"BIO-MERGE ACTIVATE!"

"Gatomon Bio-Merge to... VALKYRIMON!"

Across the roof, Keith felt the same surge of protective instinct for Birdmon.

"BIO-MERGE ACTIVATE!"

"Birdmon Bio-Merge to... GRIFFINMON!"

"This is amazing, Gatomon," Flora’s voice echoed from within the golden-armored Valkyrimon. "I can hear your heart beating alongside mine."

"Yeah," Gatomon’s voice replied. "Now, let’s show these brothers what a real storm looks like."

Raijinmon snarled. "I'll destroy you before you have the chance!"

Valkyrimon didn't blink. "Thunderous Arrow!" She fired a bolt that moved faster than the eye could follow, striking Raijinmon squarely in the chest. Griffinmon followed up with a "Slash Uppercut," his massive claws tearing through Fuujinmon’s armor.

"That... that actually hurt!" Raijinmon gasped.

"You haven't seen hurt yet!" Griffinmon roared, unleashing his Mythical Rage. Valkyrimon finished the job, her Feral Sword glowing with divine light as she cleaved through the dark energy of the storm.

With a final, agonizing cry, the elemental brothers dissolved into digital data, their forms deleted.

As the battle ended, the black clouds vanished, replaced by the bright, sunny afternoon they had started with. Flora and Keith de-merged, standing on the roof, breathless.

"Hmm... some picnic, huh?" Palmon joked, looking at the peaceful city below.

"You guys look so cool!" Palmon added.

"Thanks," Flora said, adjusting her shirt. "But I'm getting tired of being nude in that digital bubble."

"So am I..." Keith agreed, blushing slightly.

They reverted to Gatomon and Birdmon. "How come you guys didn't revert to fresh forms like the others?" Palmon asked.

"I think I was using more of my own energy to jumpstart the evolution," Flora explained.

Suddenly, Flora’s Digivice beeped. It was Evander. "Evander? How did you get through? We’re fifteen galaxies away!"

"The calls go through the Digital World," Evander’s voice crackled, sounding urgent. "Flora, we need help! Jijimon just told us that..."

To Be Continued...