Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Mystic Digital War ❯ Chapter 13: Battle Royale ( Chapter 13 )

A young woman with curly blond hair held a microphone close to her mouth as she spoke,"Zis is Catherine DeGual reporting live. For zose of you juzt joing us, after ze Dark Masters ztole ze ztone from ze church in Modem City, ze Digidestined and ze Digital Warriors were about to battle, when Sora gave zem orders to fall back a second time and wait for T.K. to search for Apocalymon.

T.K., meanwhile, waz speaking to Matt about Sora's orders, when Matt told his brother zat zey may need to overzrow Sora in order to find Tai. A young woman named Rumiko zen entered Matt's office, telling him zat she was pregnant wiz his child.

At a prezz conference, Sora explained that because of my news report, everyone knew about Apocalymon, and Sora zought zat was more important zen the aprehension of ze Digital Warriors. During the conference, Matt became aware zat Rika was disguised as one of ze reporters. When Matt saw her, she ran off.

Kari found another Zhuqioamon ztone, but Oikawa appeared to steal it. During ze battle, she came to terms wiz ze mistakes she had made and used ze Digi-metal of Courage to armor digivolve Gatomon into Lynxmon. Zey were able to defeate Oikawa and escape wiz ze stone, while Apocalymon looked on.

Back in Modem, Micheal discovered a group of Digidestined zat all were duplices of him, even down to zeir partnered Betamons. Zen, ze Digidestined and Digital Warriors, met up at a dig where a soldier for ze Dark Masters, a Digidestined named Barker and Skull Satanmon, waz searching for a Zhuqioamon ztone. when Mimi revealed zat she had large wings zat extended from her back. Ze Digital Warriors zen met back up at Modem City, only to discover zat Taisuke was missing.

"The desert air was fierce and dry, ripping the flesh, and burning the eyes. The sandstorm made perfect cover for the enemy. The spineless cowards ambushed us, destroying my platoon in a second. We fought back as best we could, but it was no use. Only a few of us survived, we managed to hide ourselves in the ruins of a desert temple."

"The ruins were ancient, probably dating back to the early centuries, certainly far older than the arguments erupting between the warring countries in the desert war of the 1990's. I remarked at the irony of the situation. In another time, these long forgotten relics would have been marveled and carefully preserved, however, now they were just used as shields. As our battle waged on, I soon became the only one left. As I lay on the ground, hidden within the bodies of my fellow soldiers, with gunshots sounding all around me, I waited for the end, but it never came.

As the enemy soldiers came ever closer to me, a miracle happened. A light broke forth in the sky, a glowing circle appeared-a gate-and out of it came a group of humans with wings, angels. They flew down from the air, bringing swift and merciless justice to my attackers. They used archaic weapons such as swords and cross bows, but, they were able to destroy my enemies. Once they were done, they left, back through the gate they appeared out of. At first I thought they had appeared to save me, but, I later determined that they were protecting something, something that was hidden beneath the temple ruins, something...powerful."

The young man looked up from his hospital bed at the group of slightly older men and women standing around him. "When the rescue team found me, they brought me back to this hospital." He looked at the leader of the group, a man with glasses and black hair with a bluish tint. "I can trust you to keep my secret, can't I? Please, whatever is buried there, keep it under all that sand. Stop anyone who would uncover it. I can trust you, can't I, Mr. Wong?"

The man with the glasses turned to the three other men, and the two women behind him on the right of the bed, then looked to the man that was standing alone on the left side of the bed. "You can trust us."

The man in the hospital bed sighed. "Thank you, Mr. Tachikawa, thank you."

Chapter 13: Battle Royale

The Floramon ran as fast as she could through the forest. She didn't know how far away that monster was, but, she wasn't going to let that sicko get her. She was so focused on what was behind her, that she crashed into something.

Her heart started to beat with fear as she turned around. She screamed when she saw the Sukamon laughing there. He grabbed her arms and pushed her to the ground. "No use screaming, sweetheart," he said with a dopey laugh,"I'm still going to get my pleasure from you."

The Floramon started to feel sick, when the Sukamon was suddenly thrown off her. She was completely confused as she got up and saw a figure drop down between her and her attacker. The figure wore a long cape, and carried a sword at his side, but, she recognized the goggles on his head.

The figure glared down at the Sukamon. "You, are the worst kind of scum!" he said.

"Please, please," the Sukamon said, backing away,"Don't kill me, please!"

"You would have kill this poor Floramon, right after you raped her!" the figure said, raising his hand,"And, for that, you must die!"

He fired a ball of flame from his palms and blasted the Sukamon away.

The Floramon back up slightly. "Y-you are...him, right?"

"That is right," the figure said.

"B-but, you're dead," the Floramon said.

"No one can kill me," the figure said,"And evil will now know the vengeance of Tai Kamiya, the Fire Master!"

Tai quickly sat up in bed, breathing heavily. "Tai," Agumon asked, sitting up in the chair next to his bed,"Are you okay?"

"I...I had a dream," he said,"More like a nightmare..."

"About what?" his faithful Digimon asked.

Tai took a deep breath, then laid back against his pillow,"I....I think I'm having memories about when I was the Firemaster...."

"Why are you remembering it?"

"I....there's something about these memories....like....like they're actually a part of me...." He turned to his Digimon,"Is that odd, or what?"

Agumon yawned. "Maybe."

"We should get some sleep," Tai said.

Agumon yawned again. "Good night Tai," he said, lying down in the chair.

"Good night," Tai said, placing his head back against the pillow, however, he didn't fall asleep. He just stared at the ceiling. "I can't fall asleep," he thought,"every time I close my eyes, I see those terrible images of those horrible thins that I did while in control of my body. I...I don't know what's wrong with me!"

Matt hummed to himself as he leaned back in his office chair. He placed his hands behind his head and put his legs on his desk. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A second later his intercom buzzed. "Mr. Ishida," his secretary said over the speaker,"Derek is here to see you."

Matt sat up and pressed the button on the intercom. "Send him in." A moment later the door opened and a young man with a Crabmon walked in. "Ah, Derek."

"You wanted to see me, General?" he asked in an Australian accent.

"Yes I did," Matt said, mentioning to the chair,"Tell me, what do you think of Sora's orders to place the apprehension of the Digital Warriors as second to stopping Apocalymon and the Dark Masters?"

Derek thought for a moment, then said,"I think that if Taichi Kamiya really did allow Oikawa to escape, then he should be apprehended and imprisoned."

Matt tried very hard to hide his grin. "Derek, what I am about to ask you, I am asking you because I trust you."

"I thank you, sir," Derek said.

Matt nodded. "Yes, I, and others within the Digidestined, have become upset with Sora's leadership. With your help, we are planning to overthrow her, what do you say?"

Derek hesitated. "I..I don't know..."

Matt nodded. "With T.K. in the feild, I need someone to lead the 'attack' here. I want that to be you."

Derek turned to his Digimon, who just shrugged. He turned back to Matt. "Okay, General, I'm your man."

Matt smiled. "Excellent. Thank you Derek. I will give you the word when I am ready to take command of the Digidestined forces."

Derek nodded. "I will be ready."

"And Tai will finally get what's coming to him!" Matt grinned.

Deep in the unexplored areas of the Digital World, inside the Land of Modem, a frustrated and confused Ukyo Oikawa slept, but it was not a peaceful sleep, but one that, once again, gave him troubled dreams.

The young man with fierce blond hair slammed his fist into the table. "When do we get paid?"

"Peter is right," a young boy said,"We did our job, and now we want what we were promised."

"Don't be so dishonest! Stop trying to cheat us!" a third voice joined in.

A man with long white hair sneered at them. "This, coming from a bunch of mercenaries! Ha! Nerez, Matsuki, and Oikawa, you three will all be paid, do not worry. I always pay for services rendered, and with the Tri-Warriors, it is services well rendered, ha ha ha!"

"Then where is our money?" the young boy asked.

"It has been deposited into your Swiss Bank accounts," the long white haired man said, with a grin"but, I have another job for you."

"What is the payment?"

"Double what I paid you last time," he grinned.

"We'll do it."

Noriko suddenly shot her head up. She took a couple of deep breaths, then looked around, she was still in the same alley that the Digital Warriors made camp in. "What's wrong?" Mina asked, turning to her.

"What time is it?" Noriko asked.

"Around midnight," Mina said,"what's wrong?"

"Just another dream," she said, jumping off of the rotted couch she was sleeping on.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mina asked.

Noriko sighed. "I..it's just really weird. I keep having these dreams about two men, and, you're going to think I'm crazy, but it's like I'm looking through my father's eyes."

Mina thought for a second, then said,"I've heard of tales where a child can remember something from their parents or grandparent's lives. I think the reason was something about the memory traveling across the genes."

Noriko shrugged, then noticed that the two girls and their Digimon were the only ones in the alley. "Where are the others?"

"Still searching for Taisuke," Mina said with a sigh,"Micheal is really searching for him." She smiled slightly,"I think he's really taken a liking to him."

Noriko was going to say something, when the rest of the Digital Warriors walked into the alley. "Well, how did it go?"

"We can't find him," Davis said, sighing.

"Other children his age have been disappearing around the city," Ken said.

"That's not all," Mina said,"While you were gone, I received a transmission from Tai, it appears that children are missing from Tokyo as well, young children with Digivices!"

"Digidestined?" Izzy asked.

Mina's Meramon shook his head. "No, they don't have Digimon partners yet, but, now they're missing."

"Kari is going to kill us!" Veemon muttered.

Michael fell down onto the couch that Noriko was just sleeping on,"What about Tai? I've failed both of them."

Betamon looked up at his human partner."It wasn't all your fault! We should have all been looking out for one another."

"I think maybe we should get back to sleep," Mina said,"We can all continue the search in the morning."

Wormmon tried to fight it, but he yawned. "I vote for her suggestion."

Michael took a deep breath,"Let's wait until morning then, I just hope where ever Taisuke is, he's safe."

Across the city of Modum, inside the residence of the mayor, Daruna, the Digidestined forces led by T.K., were involved in an interrogation session with one of their own.

Mimi sat nervously in a large red arm chair as T.K. apced the room. "Well?" he asked.

"Well what?" she asked, an innocent look in her eyes.

"You...flew!" he shouted, opening his arms,"Cody fell off of Aquillamon, you jumped off, grabbed him, then wings shot from your back!"

Mimi fidgeted, and started to rub her bare arms. "Do you at least have my brown shirt?" she ask, looking at her tight fitting black tank top,"I feel very chilly."

"You threw it off before you dove after Cody, remember?" Joe asked.

Mimi sighed.

"Here," Yolei said, handing her a red sweat shirt,"I brough a spare."

"Thank you," she said, pulling it on."

"Okay," T.K. said,"Now, can you tell us why you have wings?"

"Okay," she sighed,"My mother had wings. She was the last of an ancient race that was able to grow wings out of their backs. They were called the Wiants. Whenever I asked my mother about it, she was never very clear about it. All she kept saying was that my young brother and I were the last of that race and we were destined to be the guardians of a terrible evil. She wouldn't say more only that she would tell me when I came of age." She sighed again, "I'm 17 now, but both of my parents and my little brother are dead. I have no idea about who I really am."

"Why didn't you tell any of us before?" Palmon asked.

"Because I had to keep it a secret; my mother made me promise."

"What was this evil force you had to protect?" Yolei asked.

"I don't know," Mimi said,"My mother died before she had a chance to tell me." She looked to the ground,"Both of my parents died in a car crash a year ago."

"Most unusual," Daruna said, leaning back in his seat.

"Tell me about it," Jijimon said,"These Digidestined from Earth are very odd."

"Alright," T.K. said,"Tomorrow we will continue the search for the other Zhuqioamon stones and Apocalymon. For now, let's get some sleep."

The Digidestined slowly got up from their seats, careful not to make eye contact with Mimi. She was their friend, and that would never change, but, they had all uncovered something very unusual about her, and they were keeping their distance. June, however, was moving towards the large window for a different reason.

June sighed and propped her head on her palms, resting her elbows on the ledge. "Mimi's lost her whole family," June thought,"just like me. Her parents are gone, so are mine, she's lost her younger brother, and I......no, NO! I know Daisuke is still alive, I know it! But...." She looked up at the star-lit sky. "Wow, I didn't know that the sky in the Digital World was as beautiful as the sky on Earth." She smiled slightly,"How many nights have I sat looking through my bedroom window wondering about Daisuke? What if he's really gone? No, I know he's still alive! I can't give up hope. Daisuke, I will find you, I promise."

Back inside the alley that the Digidestined were currently calling home, Davis was having a restless night as well. Part of him knew that he was too excited to sleep. His heart was beating so fast from lying next to Noriko and Mina on a rotted mattress that they pulled from the dumpster. Davis could hardly keep his eyes closed as his eyes drifted towards the sleeping girls. Both of them were very attractive, and it was taking everything he had to stay on his side of the mattress, even though he wished that Kari was there instead.

When he thought of Kari Kamiya, his heart began to pound even faster. He cared very deeply for her, but he didn't know whether he felt it, or it was a by-product of the memories of Taichi Kamiya that he was able to call upon, but, wouldn't he feet brotherly feelings towards her, instead of something deeper?

His mind drifted away from Kari as he stared at the starlight sky above him. As he did, he saw his sister's face smiling at him."June," he thought,"I'm coming home, soon. I wanted to as soon as I joined up with Tai and Kari, but, I need to settle this first, I promised Tai Kamiya. I started searching for you as soon as I returned to Earth with Kari, but, I couldn't find you anywhere, nor the name 'Motomiya'. I don't know why, but I can't shake the feeling that you're here, in the Digital World somewhere. I will find you June, and we'll be together again."

Back on Earth, Tai Kamiya lay resting in his bed, and, like Oikawa, Noriko and Michael, sleep gave him no rest.

Suddenly, the large glass window of his apartment shattered apart and a figure jumped in. Phantomon's eyes were wide as he stared at the figure. "I...It's you!"

"That is right!" the Firemaster said, slowly stepping towards Phantomon,"Now, were is your boss, the one called Skull Satanmon?"

"I..I don't know," Phantomon said, slowly moving his hands behind him.

"You are the second-in-command of the Ghost Gang, are you not?" the Firemaster asked, a cold tone to his voice.

"G-Ghost Gang?" Phantomon asked, grabbing scythe behind his back,"What's a 'Ghost Gang'?"

The Firemaster was about to say something, when Phantomon charged at him with his scythe. The Firemaster just laughed slightly and grabbed the weapon as it hurdled towards his head. "If there is one thing I cannot stand more than lying," he said,"It is treachery!"

He broke the scythe out of Phantomon's hand, then grabbed him by the throat. He threw him into the far wall, destroying the gold wall paper. He flew over and grabbed the ghost Digimon again, and slammed him into the ground. "Now," he said, picking him up by the throat,"Where is Skull Satanmon?"

Phantomon coughed out an address, and the Firemaster nodded. "Thank you. Now, for your punishment!"

He raised his free hand, and it began to pulsate with fire energy. He brought it towards Phantomon, whose eyes were about to shoot out of his head. He started to sweat, as the flame came closer and closer...

"Stop!" a female voice said,"You're killing him!"

The two fighters turned their heads to the smashed window. There was a group floating right outside the window, four humans, and their Digimon partners. The Firemaster looked at each one with cold eyes. When he settled one the girl who had spoken out against him, his eyes soften. He dropped Phantomon and walked over to them. The blond haired young man, ridding on his Metalgarurumon flew towards the girl and his Garudamon, but, she stopped them.

The Firemaster continued to stare at the girl until he was right in front of her. "Y...you are Sora Takenouchi..."

"Yes," Sora said,"I am, but, who are you?"

Tai suddenly shot his eyes open, sitting up in bed. He took a couple of deep breaths, getting his bearings, when he grabbed the glass of water by his bed. He took a few sips, when the door to the room opened up. "Tai!"

"Anna," Tai said, laying back in his seat,"it's okay. I'm alright. I just had another nightmare."

"<That is the third time tonight>," Anna said in Russian,"<Maybe I should get you something....>"

"Like what?>" Tai replied back in Russian.

"<Do they sell sleeping pills here in Japan?>"

Tai thought for a moment, then replied in Japanese,"Probably at a local drug store, why?"

"I...wish to...purchase you...some.." she said carefully,"You....get...sleep...after..."

Tai smiled,"You learning Japanese pretty well. Why didn't you tell anyone that you could speak some Japanese before?"

Anna hesitated for a second, then sighed. "I...did...not want..to seem foolish."

Tai smiled. "I think we're going to get along just fine. I will see you tomorrow."

"Will you be okay?"

Tai nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure. Good night."

Anna bowed, then closed the door, leaving Tai in the dark. He sighed, and leaned back on his bed, turning his head slightly to the night stand. He saw a slightly glowing small orange ball resting on the table. "What is that?" he asked, grabbing it. It was small enough to fit in his hand, and had a glass feel to it. "What is this?" He then turned his head back towards the night stand and saw a deck of cards waiting for him, with very familar marking on the back.

The next morning found Ken falling out of the chair he was sleeping in and slamming his face onto the concrete covered ground. "What happened?" he asked, jumping into the air,"Was that an earthquake?"

"I don't know," Wormmon said, stretching,"I wonder if..."

Suddenly, a loud explosion blasted from the center of the city. "What was that?" Michael shouted, jumping off of the couch. Another loud blast boomed, slightly rattling the ground and buildings around them.

"What's happening?" Mina asked, as the Digital Warriors ran out of the alley. Once she reached the streets, she gasped. "What is going on?"

"The city is under attack!" Davis said,"What are we going to do?"

Michael closed his fist. "We are going to safe this city. Let's go!"

"Betamon digivolve to Seadramon!"

"Veemon digivolve to Exveemon!"

"Wormmon digivolve to Stingmon!"

"Kunemon digivolve to Kuwagamon!:

"Let's go!" Michael cried, jumping onto Seadramon.

Apocalymon, in his Champion form, Devimon, rested on one knee as he stared at the city below him. He grinned with hope as the sun started to cast its rays over the horizon. "Today is going to be a grand day!" he laughed,"A day to live in infamy! Where the Dark Masters and Oikawa failed, I will succeed! I will reclaim my power and return to my Mega form, then the Digital World will belong to me!"

He started laughing deeply as he dove off of the mountain ridge and soared into the city. "The Digital World will be mine, as it was always meant to be!"

T.K. ran into Daruna's office, Patamon hovering behind him. "What's going on?"he demanded.

"The city is under attack," Daruna answered as the rest of the Digidestined ran in.

"Who is behind it?" Joe asked.

"I do not now," Daruna said, lines of worry starting to form on his forehead,"but, I've just received word that another city is under attack by Apocalymon."

"We'll go after Apocalymon," T.K. said,"This city is populated by nothing but Digidestined."

"The Digimon in this city cannot progress past the Rookie level," Daruna said, sadly.

"Oh," T.K. said, looking at the ground,"Alright, we need to split up. Joe, Cody and Mimi, stay here and protect this city, the rest of us will go after Apocalymon."

"Are you sure?" Cody asked,"T.K., you're the strongest one here, maybe you should stay here.."

"No!" T.K. said, clenching his fists,"Apocalymon and I have a battle to finish."

The citizens of Modum were diving under cover as the sky turn black as a sea of bats swept over the sky. Those that were not dedicating themselves to blanketing the city in darkness, were ripping at lower level Digimon and humans. "This is bad," Davis said, gripping onto Exveemon's back,"Really bad."

Leading the attack were giant flying dragons, emitting glowing cylinders of light at the city. Riding on Kuwagamon's back, Mina and Noriko quickly ducked to avoid the laser beams. "Are those Digidestined riding on top of those dragons?" Noriko asked.

"Those are Airdramons," Kabuterimon said,"And there are humans riding them!"

"It's the Nerieds," Michael shouted, ducking a laser beam attack,"We've got to get out of here."

"But, Michael," Stingmon said,"They look just like you! All of them!"

"We know," Seadramon said.

"We've got to get out of here," Michael said.

"We're retreating?" Davis asked, confused.

"Yes, Master of Courage," Michael said,"There are at least twenty of them, and only six of us! I wouldn't bet on those odds! Let's get out of here!"

The Digital Warriors turned around and quickly removed themselves from the section of the city. Unfortunately, the Nerieds followed them, firing energy beams in an attempt to down them, but each one missed, blasting into the many buildings surrounding the streets. The people down below dove for cover as the debris began to fall. "These people are going to die, because those Airdramon Digidestined are after us!" Mina said.

"No, they are not going to die!" Michael said, as Seadramon stopped,"It is time that we fight, I was wrong, we shouldn't have run. Now I'm going to rectify that mistake."

"Seadramon digivolve to Megaseadramon!"

"Kaubterimon digivolve to Megakabuterimon!"

"Exveemon..."

"Stingmon..."

"...DNA Digivolve to Paildramon!"

The five Digimon of the Digital Warriors stared at the twenty Airdramons for all but five seconds, before they charged into the battle. Megaseadramon lead the attack, blasting his Thunder Javelin into the center of the group, spreading the Aidramons apart. The Nerieds gripped tightly to their Digimon partners as they quickly maneuvered around Megakabuterimon's energy attacks. Kuwagamon and Paildramon formed the second wave, slashing and cutting with their enormous claws. Mearamon stood firmly on the building roof beneath them firing his fireballs and flame rays at the Nerieds.

One of the male Nerieds ordered his Airdramon to attack Kuwagamon by wrapping his tail around Noriko's Digimon's head, but Kuwagamon grabbed the tail with his massive pincers and ripped it in half. A female Neried and her Airdramon head-butted Paildramon, but Paildramon grabbed the sides of Airdramon and threw her into the Airdramon that attacked Kiwagamon. Both Digimon and human vanished on impact.

"That's two down," Michael mumbled as another Neried and his Airdramon attacked him and Megaseadramon,"only about fifteen to go."

Two other Airdramons attacked Megakabuterimon from both sides. Izzy clutched tightly to his Digimon's horn as both Airdramons blasted the flying armored beetled. "Hang on!" Megakabuterimon ordered, as he was blasted in both of his sides,"Don't let go!"

"R-right," Izzy stuttered.

Both Airdramons fired again, and Megakabuterimon hissed in pain as he was hit again. "What are you doing?" Izzy asked,"You're a sitting duck!"

"T..trust me," he moaned, looking through the corner of his eyes, watching as the Airdramons moved closer. Once they were a few feet away from him, he suddenly shot his arms out and grabbed their heads. The Nerieds riding on them held tightly as Megakabuterimon swung the two Airdramons around, throwing them into a group of three other Nerieds, crashing them into the ground.

"We're doing pretty good!" Davis cried out.

"Yeah," Ken said, watching as a tide of small bats swept towards them, "but I think we're about to get clobbered."

Paildramon swung his twin gun barrels around to face the ocean of bats, when, suddenly they all vanished. Davis and Ken turned to each other. "What the-?" Davis asked.

"Master of Courage!" Ken said, pointing to the sky,"Up there!"

Davis and Paildramon turned at the sky and gasped. "Oikawa!" Davis shouted,"What are you doing here?!"

Pharaohmon slowly descended from the sky with Oikawa riding on his shoulders. "From what I just saw, Master of Courage," Oikawa said, addressing Davis,"Pharoahmon just saved your lives!"

"No, you didn't," Paildramon said, eying the floating mummy,"I could have handled a few lousy bats!"

Pharaohmon smirked. "Yes, but can you do....this!" he shouted, firing a red ball of light from his palms.

"Michael, Izzy, Mina, Noriko!" Ken shouted as fast as he could,"Duck!"

Pharaohmon's energy blast shot over the other Digital Warriors heads ripping through the remaining Nerieds, destroying them instantly. Michael slowly raised raised his head, staring at Oikawa the entire time. "It's you," he said,"Megaseadramon, get ready to..."

"Wait!" Ken said,"He just got rid of those....what did you call them, Nerieds?"

"Yes," Michael said, as Noriko slowly hid behind him,"And probably tried to take us out in the process. What do you want here?"

"I am searching for the Zhuqioamon stones," he said with a grin.

"What for, father?" Noriko asked, showing herself.

Oikawa's demeanor changed. "Noriko," he said, more softly,"So you are here."

"Why are you searching for the stones?" Mina asked,"In order to rule the Digital World again?"

Oikawa smirked,"I have discovered that managing an entire planet is tedious at best, in fact, that 'Taichi Kamiya', did me a favor. Now, I only wish to gain enough power so that I may return to my former occupation, as a professional mercenary, at least, that is what I believe I was..."

The memory of the previous night's dream shot through Noriko's mind, then she shook her head. "Am I experiencing my father's memories? Why is that?"

"If that's why you're here," Ken said,"Then why did you save us?"

Oikawa mentioned to the explosions and screaming sounding through out the city. "I think that for the moment, we need each other."

"You've got to be k-!" Michael started

"Hey, isn't that the reporter that covered Tai's battle?" Ken asked, eying the rooftop below them,"Catherine something."

"Catherine DeGual," Davis said,"What's she doing here?"

While the other Digital Warriors and Oikawa continued their conversation, Davis and Ken slowly descended to the roof top where Floramon was adjusting her camera as Catherine spoke into the microphone."Thiz iz Catherine DeGual reporting to you live from ze city of Modum in ze Digital World. Zis city is under attack from an unkown force; a group of Digimon called Airdramons, with Digidestined partners zat have a very identical resemblance to one of ze Digital Warriors, Michael Barton. Are zey a ploy by ze tratiorous Digital Warriors to destroy zis city, or is is a trick by Apocalymon, who has attack a nearby city. While zese are ze only attackers zat have appeared so far, I am certain zat zere will be other attackers. Zis iz Catherine DeGual, signing off."

She placed her microphone down and ran a hand through her thick blond hair. "Where is Apocalymon?"

She spun around and gasped. Floramon dropped her camera and ran around to the front of Catherine. "I may be small," she said,"but I will fight you."

"Take it easy," Paildramon said,"I don't want to fight you."

"Miss DeGual," Ken said,"where is Apocalymon?"

"Why should I tell you anything?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Because I bet you know that Tai is innocent of the charges that the Digidestined have accused him of."

"I do not know what you are talking about," she said,"When ze explosion occurred, we were thrown on our backs. We did not see what occurred, but our camera did. It recorded exactly what I gave to ze television stations." She hesitated for a second, then said,"However, ze tape zat was in the camera, it was different then ze one we zought we put in.."

"What?" Davis asked.

Floramon spoke up. "I put a tape in the camera, then recorded the battle. Because of the interference, our camera was the only one that recorded what happened afterwards, but I left it at Catherine's host family's house when I went with her to the hospital. When we came back, I could have sworn that the tape inside was different."

"It could have been switched then," Davis said,"but who would..."

"If you don't mind!" Ken snapped,"Where is Apocalymon?"

"In a city a few miles from here," Catherine said,"Ze Digidestined have gone zere also."

"Hey guys!" Ken shouted to the other Digital Warriors,"Apocalymon has been sighted a few miles from here!"

"What?" Michael asked,"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Ken said,"Miss DeGual here told us so!"

"Alright," Michael said,"Ken, Davis, and I will stay here to defend the city. The rest of you, go and try to stop Apocalymon."

Izzy nodded, then turned to help Mina onto Megakabuterimon's back. "Okay girls, let's go."

As they flew off, the remaining Digital Warriors became aware of loud screaming and shouting directly beneath them. Looking down at the street below, in the center of all the screaming and confusion, they saw two kids running from a group of screeching bats that were trying to tear their heads off.

"Come on," Michael said, as the other Digital Warriors followed him down. Megaseadramon was easily able to destroy the bats, calming the children down.

"Are you two alright?" Ken asked, helping them to their feet. There were two of them, a large, muscular ten-year-old, while the girl was smaller, with shoulder length black hair. As Michael stared at them, a vision flashed through his mind, of the two children, but, they were adults, not children.

"Do I know you two?" he asked, shaking his head.

Suddenly, a girl about seven with long red hair ran over to them. "Christina, Ferdenel! Are you two alright?"

"Yes, Michelle," the girl said, breathing heavily,"We're okay."

Oikawa stared at the new girl. "Do I know you?"

She was about to say something, when Paildramon shouted,"Look out!" Everyone quickly jumped to the side as a large truck flew passed them, searching it's brakes.

"There are trucks in this city, too?" Davis asked.

"Of course!" Oikawa snapped,"There are vechiles in the Digital World! Not all Digimon can fly!"

Davis was about to snapp something back at him, when the door no the back of the truck swung open, and a familiar figure stepped out. "P...Piedmon!" Michael asked.

The evil Mega grinned. "That's right, now, hand over those two children," he pointed to Christina and Ferdinel," and Oikawa, now!"

"What?" Michael asked,"What do you want them for?"

"You will see soon enough. Give them to me now!"

Michael stood in front of the two children,"I won't let you have them." Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his back as he was thrown into the ground. He quickly looked up and saw a Ladydevimon throwing the two children into the back of the truck. Staring inside he saw a group of children, but one in particular caught his eye. "Taisuke?" he mumbled,"Taisuke!"

Piedmon glanced over his shoulder to the children inside, then shrugged. "Give me Oikawa, now!"

"He's not going anywhere with you!" Pharaohmon shouted. He raised his palm, ready to attack, when Oikawa grabbed his arm.

"Don't," he said,"I need to find out what's going on, why I'm so important to them. Maybe they can tell me about my dreams." Pharaohmon nodded.

Oikawa turned to Piedmon. "I will go, only if my Digimon can come with me."

"He must return to his In-training form," Piedmon ordered.

Pharaohmon nodded, then changed back to Daitiramon. Oikawa picked him up then, taking a deep breath, walked into the back of the truck.

"Don't do it Oikawa!" Michael called out,"It's not worth it!"

Piedmon grinned, then jumped inside. Once the doors were shut, the truck took off. "We've got to go after it!" Michael said, running to jump onto Megaseadramon, when the Ladydevimon jumped down in front of them.

"You are not going anywhere!" she grinned.

"You'd better get out of my way, honey," Megaseadramon said,"or you're going to get hurt."

"She's not going anywhere," the redheaded girl said,"My name is Michelle Azuna, this is my Digimon partner Ladydevimon. We are part of the Dark Digidestined, serving the Dark Masters."

"Oh great," Davis mumbled.

Azuna reached down her black shirt, then pulled out a medallion that was hung around her neck. "Is that a Crest?" Paildramon asked.

"It is my Crest of Wisdom," she said,"And with it's power, Ladydevimon will destroy you."

Megaseadramon was about to attack Ladydevimon, when Paildramon jumped in front of him,"Leave her to us. You go after Taisuke."

"Thanks," Michael said, jumping onto his Digimon,"Let's go buddy."

Megaseadramon flew into the air, but did not get very far. He screeched to a halt when another figure dropped down in front of him. "Melissa," Michael said.

The Nereid leader stared at Michael. "You destroyed twenty of my fellow Nerieds. I don't care who you really are, I am going to destroy you!" Her chest suddenly started glowing along with her Digimon. "Airdramon digivolve to Megadramon!"

"Another crest?" Michael asked,"You're a Dark Digidestined too?"

"That's right," Mellissa said, grabbing her crest and showing it to Michael,"the Crest of Faith. My belief in the Dark Masters will give me power, and I will do their bidding!" She screamed,"Face me!"

Across the city, near it's ocean seaport, a massive, black squid creature slowly rose up out of the water. It raised his massive white tentacles, then slapped it down into the water, creative a massive wave that destroyed the buildings and digidestined surrounding the shore line. A seven-year-old human boy appeared on the creatures shoulders. He chuckled,"This is fun, Marine Devimon, what should we destroy next...?" He scanned the water below him, then pointed to a passing ship,"There, destroy that vessel."

"That sounds like fun, Mark," Marinedevimon laughed. He raised his large tentacle high into the air, then slammed it down. The people on the ship were about to jump over board, when Zudomon suddenly appeared out of the water, holding the massive tentacle above the water. "Go!" Joe shouted to the ship from Zudomon's shoulder,"leave, hurry!" The captain of the ship nodded, then moved the ship as quickly as he could towards the shore.

"So who are you?" Cody asked, looking at the human on Marinedevimon's shoulder.

"I am Mark Lambert, this is my Crest of Obedience, and with it, Marinedevimon will destroy you."

"But you're so young!" Cody said,"You don't know what you're saying!"

"He's a lot older then he looks," another voice said. This one belonging to a young man with a Skull Satanmon, who was floating towards them on a small ship.

"Hey, it's that Barker guy," Mimi said.

Barker smirked. "Exactly, and with my Crest of Loyalty, Marinedevimon and Skull Satanmon will destroy you!"

Oikawa glared up at Piedmon as he felt the truck travel down the road. He looked at Datiramon, then back at the Dark Master. "What are you planning to do to those kids?": he asked, mentioning to where Christina and Ferdenel where standing in front of a group of unconscious children. His eyes widened when he saw one little boy leaning against the side of the truck. "Isn't that Taisuke Kamiya?"

"And what if it is?" Piedmon laughed,"Are you actually going to do something about it?"

"What's going on here?" he asked,"Why are you in this city? Why do you want the Zhuqioamon Stones?"

"So many questions," a new voice said,"I don't remember you ever acting like this."

"Who said that?" Oikawa demanded. Out of the group of kids, a figure stood up, an older man with long white hair. He was wearing a red cloak covering a green suit. "Who are you?"

The man laughed,"You don't remember me? Very well, I am Lorenzo Vadachel la Guerda del Lucifer, and we've known each other for a very long time."

"You don't look familiar at all."

Lucifer grinned,"Then let me jog your memory." He walked over to where Christina and Ferdenel where standing. "You certainly recognize these two, don't you?"

"They look familiar," he said,"What of it?"

"You know these two as Christina Mora and Ferdenel Bizzard, partners to Puppetmon and Machinedramon. Piedmon, is my Digimon partner. We are the true Dark Masters."

"W..what?" Oikawa asked,"How..what?" He stared at the two kids,"But, you're only ten-years-old!"

"We're bad kids," Bizzard said.

"Yeah," Mora said,"Our parents were always disappointed with us. They had to spank us all the time."

The two kids looked at each other, then started laughing. "That's funny to you?" Oikawa asked.

Mora managed to stop laughing long enough to say,"It is, if you know who we really are."

"That's enough you two," Lucifer said,"Christina, join your partner in the driver's cab."

Mora nodded, then walked over to the front of the trailer, then opened a small opening in the wall. Oikawa was able to see Puppetmon driving the truck. Mora crawled through the small whole, big enough for a small kid, then shut closed the door. As she did, Oikawa caught a glimpse of a circular object around her neck. Lucifer saw his look, then held out his own circular pendant. "This is called an Essence."

"A what?"

"An Essence, a physical manifestation of the Digital World. I have the Essence of Shadow, Mora has the Essence of Forest, while Bizzard here has the Essence of Technology. They are very useful, more powerful then the Crests."

"What do you want with me?" Oikawa asked.

"Well, it's actually pretty interesting," Lucifer said as Piedmon walked behind Oikawa and held his arms tightly,"You see, running through your, heh, 'blood' is a very powerful tool..."

"What?" Oikawa asked, growing scared,"What's inside of me?"

"Oh, nothing to worry about, it won't kill you. You've live with it for about seventeen years now."

"Seventeen years?" he asked. Suddenly, an image flashed across him mind, of a giant creature covered with parts of different Digimon. "What happened then?" he asked,"What happened to me?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with now," Lucifer said, picking up a electrical cord that was lying on the floor. Oikawa could see that the cord split and was connected to the unconscious children by a black helmet around their heads. Lucifer connected the cord end in his hand to another black helmet and strapped it onto Oikawa's head.

"What's this?"

"I am just going to siphon some of the energy cause by the dark particles in your blood into the children..."

"What?" Oikawa shouted,"Why?"

"Because, for what am I going to do, I need plenty of energy, which is why I need the Zhuqioamon stones," Lucifer smiled as he pressed a button on the side of Oikawa's helmet,"Because they possess immense power, but, now I will create more energy generators, then just you."

Oikawa fell to the ground, hissing in pain,"Wh..what are you talking about? What..are..you...doing to....me?" Oikawa curled into a ball as dark electricity flowed out of his helmet, down the cord, and into the children's helmet. He could only watch in horror, as his body would no longer obey him. "I...I'm sorry," he whispered to the children,"Plese, forgive me..." Above him, Lucifer and Piedmon laughed deeply.

T.K.'s face was horrified as he surveyed the destruction of the city below him. Buildings had collapsed, and were scattered across the streets. Cars had been destroyed, and some were even on fire. Fire hydrants were shooting water into the air, spreading water near downed power lines, a dangerous formula. He sighed. "This is just like the other city." He turned to the rest of his Digidestined,"Let's set it down here and see if we can find Apocalymon."

Yolei nodded, and slowly descended to land on the street blew them. As the Digidestined started to jump off of Aquillamon, something caught the corner of Yolei's eye. She slowly walked over to the entrance to an alley. When she looked inside, she gave a short scream, then ran back to the others.

"What is it?" T.K. asked.

"Those...those people, those digidestined...." she said, gasping,"they're....they're dead...they're dead....all of them...."

June reached over and hugged her friend, while T.K. placed a pair of binoculars to his eyes. He stared scanning the ruins of the city. "Where are you Apocalymon? I know you're here.Stop cowering and show yourself."

June suddenly jumped into the air. "Did you guys here that?" she asked.

"Hear what?" Ninjamon asked.

June jumped behind her Digimon. "I heard something over there," she said, pointing to a collapsed building,"Something's in there."

Ninjamon slowly walked towards the destroyed building, her sword out in front of her. She took another deep breath as she slowly made her way to the rubble, Suddenly the pile of cement and brick blew apart, as a large glowing creature appeared. Ninjamon was joined by Stegomon and Aquillamon a second later. "Get ready to attack," T.K. said, eying the glowing monster. Slowly the light faded, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "It's Megakabuterimon, then the light was just him digivolving."

The giant Ultimate stared down at the three smaller Digimon. "He is still an enemy," Stegomon said,"Do we attack T.K?"

"We don't want a fight!" Izzy shouted, appearing on top of Megakabuterimon's shoulder,"We came here to search for Apocalymon, the same as you!"

June and Yolei turned to T.K.,"Well?" Yolei asked.

"I offer a temporary truce," T.K. shouted.

Izzy nodded. "We agree! We're coming down."

"Stand down," T.K. ordered his team as Izzy, Noriko, and Mina slowly walked towards him. Once the three members of the Digital Warriors were in front of him, he cleared his throat. "Apocalymon is still inside this city, we need to find him, or more people and Digimon are going to die."

Izzy nodded. "Do you have any idea where he is?"

All the digidestined suddenly turned their heads to the center of the city. "What was that?" Yolei asked, twisting her head.

"It sounded like a scream," June said.

"Mask is right," T.K. said,"Let's get there, or we're going to lose our chance to get Apocalymon."

"If that's him," Noriko mumbled as she ran after the others,"What am I saying? Of course it is!"

Devimon's face was twisted in an unhappy frown, his fist squeezing the human's neck. Now, again," Devimon said,"Where is the stone?"

The human male was desperately trying to pull himself out of Devimon's grip.His knuckles were bone white as they tried to move Devimon's fingers from around his neck. All he could do was gasp.

"I am not going to ask you again," Devimon said,"Where is the stone?"

"I...don't..know what....you're talking about...."

Devimon sighed, then shook his head. "Well, since you won't help me, you leave me no choice but to search myself." He grinned,"That means that you're disposable!" He chuckled slightly as he tighten his grip, and heard the familiar sound of the human's neck bones crack and snap. He threw the human into the far wall.

Devimon turned his head and looked out of the large penthouse windows. "Ah, I'm about to have some company. If the Digidestined want me, then let them find me! Ha ha ha!" He turned and ran out of the apartment.

The Digidestined and Digital Warriors Digimon flew as fast as they could through the city. June tugged at her mask and pointed to an apartment building. "I think the scream came from there."

Mina adjusted her grip on Megakabuterimon so that she could turned to look at Aquillamon. "Mask," she said,"Why do you wear a mask?"

"I think that's a little inappropriate!" Ninjamon said.

"Yeah," Yolei said,"Why is it any of your business?"

June held up her hand. "No, it's okay. When Oikawa invaded Earth, I was attacked by a Dark Tyranamon. He completely scarred my face. This mask acts as a skin for my face."

"I'm sorry," Mina said,"I didn't mean..."

"Quit talking back there," T.K. snapped,"Apocalymon is going to know..."

"...that you're here!"

"It's Apocalymon!" Noriko shouted.

Devimon grinned, then quickly slashed into Megakabuterimon and Aquillamon, the two 'carrier' Digimon. They both twisted in the air, with their passengers gripping tightly to keep from falling off. Devimon started to laugh as he held up his palms. "I'll be seeing you around!" he shouted, as a flare of bright light blasted from his palms. The Digidestined and Digital Warriors had no choice but to close their eyes. When they opened them, Devimon was gone.

"Damn it!" T.K. shouted,"He's gone again! Quickly, we've got to find him!" Aquillamon quickly flew off.

"We're right behind you," Izzy said, as Megakabuterimon followed them.

Matt gently folded the playing card and lightly placed it on top of his card pyramid. He breathed very carefully as he reached for another card. He bent it very slightly. He took a deep breath as he slowly went to place the last card on the very top of the pyramid. He was inches away from placing the last card, when the door to his office flew open quickly. "General Ishida!" Derek cried, running in,"General Ishida?"

Matt looked up from his fallen pile of cards, his body in the same position as before. "This had better be important," he said, relaxing back in his seat.

Derek gulped. "Yes, well, Anna Vassil has been sighted."

"What?" Matt shouted, jumping up,"Do we have her?"

"N..no," Derek said, shaking his head,"The agent that sighted her followed Digidestined procedure and alerted backup, when they arrived, however, Anna was already gone."

Matt sighed. "Where was she sighted?"

"At a drug store..."

"A drug store?" Matt asked, raising his eyebrow,"what was she doing there?"

"Apparently she was buying some sort of sleeping pills or something," Derek said,"Our agent overheard her talking to the pharmacist. She wanted something that would help a person suffering from insomnia. She gave a description which matches Taichi Kamiya's."

"Really," Matt said, leaning back in his seat again,"I wonder why Tai needs sleeping pills?"

"He's obviously suffering from some sort of insomnia," Gabumon said.

"But why?" Matt asked,"Is it because....?" He suddenly clapped his hands together,"That's it! I bet he's remembering what happened to him...that's why he's not having pleasant dreams." He grinned wickedly,"Poor Tai! Ha ha ha!"

Kari's face was completely horrified as she stared at the burning destruction. "Is this Modem City?"

"What happened here?" Lynxmon asked, walking slowly down the abandoned street. "Where are all the people?"

"I don't know," Kari said,"Where are the other Digital Warriors? Where is my little brother?"

Lynxmon suddenly shot her head up. "What is it?" Kari asked. Her Digimon quickly dove to the side to allow a large truck to fly by.

"Watch where you're going!" Lynxmon shouted,"Where did you learn to drive?!"

"Kari! You're back!"

The Kamiya sister turned her head to the sky and saw Michael and Megaseadramon fighting Melissa and Megadramon. "Michael!" she screamed,"What's going on?! Who are you fighting? She looks just like you! Is she your sister? Did you find your real family?"

"Never mind about me!" he screamed, as Megaseadramon dodged one of Megadramon's fists,"That truck that just went by, The Dark Masters are inside, with Oikawa, and a bunch of young kids! Taisuke is with them!"

"What?" Kari asked, her face turned to anger,"My little brother is where?"

"Inside the truck! Hurry up, I'll get there as soon as I can!"

"Let's go after that truck!" Kari ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," Lynxmon said, charging down the street.

.

"I don't believe this," T.K. said, jumping off of Aquillamon as he landed. The new Digidestined of Friendship walked over to a pile of discarded human bodies. "This was Apocalymon all right.. How...how could someone so carelessly murder. I don't understand..."

Yolei didn't say anything as she walked through towards T.K.. As she did, something peculiar caught her eye. She bent down and picked up a piece of material. It was small and jagged. It had a hard, rough feel to it.

"What's that?" Izzy asked, jumping off of Megakabuterimon.

Yolei sighed and looked him in the eyes,"It was a Digi-egg. A Digimon who was just about to start his or her life, and now...now it doesn't even have a chance.."

Izzy clenched his fist as he looked at the shell of the Digi-egg in Yolei's hands. "Apocalymon is slaughtering these Digimon!"

Mina walked past Yolei and Izzy; she looked down and saw hundreds of cracked shells on the ground. "They didn't deserve this," she said,"No one does."

Suddenly, T.K. started shouting,"I'll find you Apocalymon! I'll make you pay for this!"

June walked up and placed her hands on his shoulders. "We need to keep moving, or he'll get too far ahead of us."

"Yeah," Noriko said, putting her hands at her side,"then he'll pay!"

T.K. jumped back onto Aquillamon back, while the Digital Warriors jumped onto Megakabuterimon's head "Now let's go."

Mimi stood with her hands on her hips staring at Barker on the building roof across from her. "Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"I have my orders from the Dark Masters, find the last Zuqiomon stone, and you are going to help me find it."

"How?" Mimi asked.

Barker grinned. "I think you know, Wiant."

Mimi's face paled. "You..know about me?"

Barker shook his head, then pointed to the sky. Mimi looked up and saw their two Digimon stared each other down. Lillymon took the first move, pushing herself forward, her wings opening up. "Flower Cannon!" she fired his attack at Phantomon.

Barker's Digimon waited until the ball of energy was a few feet away before using his staff as a baseball bat, sending the energy ball flying away.

"Now its our turn," Barker laughed.

"Nail Bone!" Lillymon grabbed the incoming staff and stopped its forward motion. Despite all of Skull Satanmon's power, he could not move the staff any further. Lillymon took a deep breath, then flung the staff back towards it's owner.

"Not bad!" Barker said,"But you've got to do better than that!"

"We will," Mimi said, confindenlty,"We were trained by the best."

Lillymon flew forward, then shot down into the alley between her and Skull Satanmon. The devil Digimon waited for a long time, before quietly peeking over the edge. Lillymon suddenly appeared, a gun barrel where her hands once were. "Flower Cannon!" Skull Satanmon stumbled backwards, as a giant amount of pain shot through him.

"I hate to say this," Barker said,"But, I am impressed!"

"Thank you," Mimi said.

"But it is not enough!" Barker said,"Now, Skull Satanmon!" His Digimon quickly recovered himself. He brought his staff back, and quickly swung it forward.

"Lillymon!" Mimi shouted. She watched her Digimon stumble backwards, then de-digivolve into Palmon, then fall flat into the roof.

"Oh no," Mimi said, running up to her.

"Mimi, "Palmon said,"I failed. I'm sorry."

"Its okay," she said.

"No," Barker said,"It isn't." He grabbed a gun from his side and shot a beam of energy at the two of them. Mimi and her Digimon fell flat onto the roof. Barker turned to his Digimon. "Now that they're unconscious, let's get them to the Commander."

Ankylomon closed his eyes seconds before he felt his back slam into hard concrete. Wow," he mumbled, getting back onto his four feet,"Marinedevimon sure knows how to make a simple punch hurt like nothing else."

He was about to run back towards the seaport when he heard Joe shout,"Ankylomon! Heads up!" He looked up and saw Zudomon falling towards him. Ankylomon charged forward and tried to stop Zudomon from destroying a couple buildings by catching him. Unfortunately, Zudomon was much larger them him, so the Digimon only succeeded saving the buildings in his friend's path, not himself.

"Armadillomon!" Cody cried, after Zudomon stepped off of his friend,"Are you okay?"

"Did you get the number of that truck?" he asked, falling into Cody's arms.

"Cody, look out!"

Cody quickly spun around to see Zudomon holding a white tentacle above the small Digidestined's head. Joe's Digimon flung the tentacle back into the water. "Crud," he said,"Marinedevimon's coming on shore."

Joe ran over and helped Cody to his feet. "Marine Devimon is going to attack on shore. We've got to get clear so Zudomon can attack without worrying about us."

Cody nodded, then ran after Joe into the city, only they didn't get far. "Isn't that Paildramon up there?" Cody asked.

"Yeah," Armadillomon said,"But who is he fighting?"

"It looks like Ladydevimon," Joe said.

"Both of them are criminal!" Cody said, his anger starting to get the best of him,"We can attack both of them now."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Joe said, watching his Digimon fight Marine Devimon.

"We have both of them in sight, if we wait for either one to finish the other off, they might get away. We have to bring them to justice for their crimes."

Suddenly, a bright light streamed from underneath his shirt, illuminating the area. "Wh-what is this?" he asked, pulling an object from around his neck.

"It looks like a crest," Joe said, awe-struck,"but how...? What crest is it?"

"Justice," he said, with a smile,"My own crest." He looked down,"Armadillomon."

"Right," his Digimon nodded,"Armadillomon digivolve to..Ankylomon! Ankylomon digivolve to Shakkoumon!"

"Now," Cody said, climbing into his hand,"let's go!"

Joe was too amazed to say anything as Cody and his Digimon hovered into the air.

Davis had his fists tight together as Paildramon dodged an attack from Ladydevimon. "Come on!" Davis cried, encourengenly,"Don't let that witch win!"

"The thought never crossed my mind!" Paildramon said, blocking her punches.

Ken, meanwhile, had not taken his eyes off of Azuna since the battle started. He was shocked that a little girl like her could be so ready to destroy. Suddenly, he saw her smile. "What are you so happy about?" he shouted across the gap between the buildings.

"It appears we have company," the seven-year-old laughed.

"What?" Ken asked. He twirled around to see Cody jump off of a strange Digimon and land on a nearby roof. "Cody," he shouted,"What are you doing here?"

"I am taking you, all of you, into custody," he said, looking at his Digimon,"Shakkoumon, apprehend the Dark Digidestined and the Digital Warriors."

"As you wish," his Digimon said, raising his hand, but firing an optic blast between the two battling Digimon.

Ladydevimon and Paildramon split apart. "What's going on?" they asked.

"I am Shakkoumon, Digimon partner of Cody Hida, by his command, you are all to be brought to justice."

Azuna and Davis looked at each other, then at Cody. "A three way stand-off?" Azuna asked,"Fine with me."

"En Garde!" Shakkoumon shouted, charging forward.

Megaseadramon flipped in the air, dodging the missile attacks from Megadramon. As he did, Michael, hugging tightly to his Digimon, saw a glimpse of the battle taking place a few feet away. "Who is that Digimon fighting Ladydevimon and Paildramon?"

"It's Shakkoumon," Megaseadramon said,"An ancient Digimon, but, what's he doing here."

"It appears he is the Ultimate Digimon of the Digidestined you call Cody," Melissa said, resting on Megadramon,"and I believe that my fellow Dark Digidestined, Mark Lambert, wants to fight you as well."

"What?" Michael asked, turning around just in time to see a white tentacle wrap around Megaseadramon. Michael saw Marinedevimon grinning wickedly, with his other tentacle clutching Zudomon's neck. Michael turned back to Melissa to see her fly away on Megadramon.

"Maybe I will see you again!" she cried.

"Hey!" Michael shouted,"Get back here!"

"I think we should worry about the battle we are about to engage in," Megaseadramon said, struggling to get out of Marinedevimon's tentacle.

"Darn it!" Michael said, looking down at Marinedevimon,"Zapp him!"

"Are you sure...?"

"Yes! Now, hurry!"

"Alright," Megaseadramon said,"Thunder Javelin!" The electric current shot from his horn, traveled down the tentacle into Marine Devimon, then through the other tentacle and into Zudomon.

"Oops," Michael said, as Marine Devimon's tentacles dropped to the ground.

"What was that for?" Joe shouted, looking up at Michael.

"Sorry..?" Michael said, shrugging.

"Not as sorry as you're going to be!" Zudomon shouted, throwing his hammer up at him. Megaseadramon twisted in the air to avoid the hammer, which flung around and slammed into Marinedevimon.

Lambert glared at Michael and Joe. "If you want a three way battle, then so be it!"

"Great," Michael muttered,"Just what I need."

"There's the truck!" Lynxmon shouted, as she galloped closer to the vehicle,"Should I attack?"

"No," Kari said,"Get on the roof."

"As you wish," Lynxmon said, jumping on top, her claws digging into the metal cover.

Inside the truck, Puppetmon looked up at the roof. "What is it?" Mora asked.

"Didn't you hear something land on top of the truck?"

Mora shook her head,"No..."

Puppetmon shrugged, then turned back to look out of the window. He gasped as he suddenly saw a pillar of light appear in the road a few feet in front of him. "What is that?"

Above them, Kari moved her head down to Lynxmon's ear. "Okay, here is what we're going to do. On my mark, you jump in front of the truck and stop it. I'll jump inside and rescue Taisuke and the other kids, got it?"

Lynxmon was a little uneasy about jumping in front of a moving vehicle, but was sure she was big enough to stop it. "Got it."

Kari nodded. "Okay, three....two...." Suddenly a beam of light appeared in the street in front of them. "What the-?" she asked.

The beam of light faded to a lighter blue, with a darker brown cylinder in the middle. Numbers were flowing across the outside, but it was the two figures appearing at the base of the cylinder of light that concerned Kari. "Oh no!" she said, watching the figure materialize.

"Not her!" Lynxmon said,"Not now!"

Kari sighed as a red haired girl with a fox walking on two feet appeared,"Here comes, Rika!"

Next: Kari vs. Rika!

P.S.: I know that Ankylomon needs Angemon to digivolve to Shakkoumon, but, didn't the Season 2 Digimon need another Digimon to reach the Ultimate level because they didn't have crests anymore? So, in this reality, Cody's crest subsitutes the energy that Angemon would have given Ankylomon. The same thing with Yolei, in upcommin chapters.

P.P.S. Thank to Lord Archive for allowing me the use of the Crests.