Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ The Ressurection War ❯ Dark Ocean: Escape ( Chapter 23 )

Yolei here. Last time we all joined up again, and we were wondering what to do about Tk, when Dragomon and Oikawa showed up. They kidnapped me and Catherine to lure Kari and the others to his base, the Sovereigns Castle. Oikawa then through me into the seal in order to force Kari to use the Key Cards to crack the seal. I got out, but inside wasn’t D-reaper, it was this girl named Jeri!     We'll be together forever, forever ,Because we promised that setting sun     I want to see you soon, Please convey that feeling     You unexpectedly dove into my lonely heart     You kindly wrapped up the things that hurt a little     It was the first time I felt so relieved so     I squeezed that warmth into my outside pocket,Do you want to go walking?     We'll be together forever, forever, Because we promised that setting sun     In lonely times, we can look at that lengthening orange     That setting sun will whisper, "It will be okay"     I want to see you soon, Please convey that feeling     So that I can meet you with your very favorite     My best smile, I'll hang in through every day     We'll be together forever, forever, Because we promised that setting sun     It might seem discouraging but we'll embrace the beautiful orange     "It will be okay" is what that setting sun taught us     If I really believe, that feeling will definitely reach you     We'll be together forever, forever, Because we promised that setting sun     Even if we are far away, We'll still feel that same orange     "It will be okay" Because that setting sun connects us     Don't cry anymore, In the light of the love in our hearts     In the light of the love in our hearts. (“Promise of the Setting Sun”-Movie 6 ending.)

DARK OCEAN: Escape

Takato sighed in a mixture of worry and annoyance. “Where can she be?” He slammed his hand into the hall of the Sovereigns Castle, “Damn it!”

“We’ll find her, don’t worry,” Kari said, “She couldn’t have gotten really far.”

“We have to find her before Oikawa!” he shouted, “We have to find her!”

The others stared at him. “And we will,” Tatum said.

The older goggle wearer sighed deeply. “I’m sorry. I…I’m…I don’t know…I…”

“It’s okay,” Kari said, “We know how you feel about her. We’ll find her, I swear.”

Takato smiled weakly. “I know, thanks.” He sighed deeply, “I never thought that I’d ever see Jeri again. I always thought she was dead, for sixteen years I thought she was dead and now…now…she’s alive, and still ten years old!”

The others were silent before Hiroshi spoke. “I hate to bring this up, but where is this D-reaper?”

“Maybe it iz ztill inside ze zeal?” Catherine suggested.

“But I still have the Key Cards,” Kari said, “So Oikawa can’t open it again.”

“But I thought you broke it,” Guilmon said, “So wouldn’t D-reaper come out too?”

“He’s right,” Tatum said, “What’s going on here?”

“We need answers,” Hiroshi said, “I think that girl can give them to us.”

“Her name is Jeri,” Takato glared at him, “Don’t forget it.”

“Don’t start fighting!” Catherine snapped, “Let uz juzt find Jeri.”

Takato stared at Hiroshi a second longer before twirling his head back around. “Let’s go.” “””””””””& #8221;”””””””””” ;””””””””””R 21;””””””””

Jeri ran through the halls of the Sovereigns Castle, panting heavily and with tears pouring down her face. She finally stopped and collapsed onto the ground, her back pressed up against one of the walls with a stain glass window above her. She began to sob loudly. “This is all a dream, this is all a dream. All I have to do is wake up, I just need to wake up.”

She hugged her knees to her chest and squeezed the back of her neck. “This is just a dream. I’m at home, sleeping in my bed…This isn’t happening…it isn’t happening…”

She suddenly heard footsteps moving towards her. She shot her head up and saw a man with long hair and a jacket walking towards her. “I’m sorry my dear,” he said, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“W..who are you?” she asked.

“My name is Yukio,” he smiled warmly, “Yukio Oikawa, and I am the one who helped to set you free.”

“W..what?”

“Please, I do not mean you any harm,” he said, speaking very softly and moving towards her very slowly,” I only wish to help you.”

“H..help me?” she asked.

He nodded. “That is correct. I want to know about D-reaper, can you tell me?”

“D-reaper?” she screamed, backing up quickly, “D-reaper!”

“Shh, shh,” he said slowly, “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Jeri started to calm down. “Why do you want to know about D-reaper?”

He hesitated. She was beginning to reach a state of shock; he needed to keep her calm. “There is a great evil in the Digital World, one that I need to stop at all costs, but it’s power is great. I have heard that D-reaper is capable of deleting even high level digimon, that the Sovereigns themselves were in danger of being destroyed. Something of that power could stop this evil!”

Jeri stared at him with narrow eyes. “No one can control D-reaper,” she said, “No one.”

“I was hoping that you might be able to help me in that respect,” he still smiled with the same expression.

The girl in the green dress stared at him, daggers in her eyes. “What’s the name of this evil anyway? Who is it?”

Oikawa’s smile faded. “A digimon that tried to destroy the Digital World, what seems like such a long time ago. He was defeated by others, but his very nature does not allow him to be destroyed, not by mortals, in any case.”

“You’re not answering me!” Jeri yelled, “Who is it? Why do you think you want D-reaper?”

Oikawa frowned. “Fine. This digimon is named…”

“Jeri!”

They spun around and saw Takato leading his small group running towards them through the hall. “Them again?” he sighed. He lifted up his hand and snapped his fingers. Almost instantly, Blackwargreymon flew past Oikawa and Jeri and landed before the Digidestined.

“You again?” Penmon replied in a childish voice. He turned to his partner, “Give me the word and I’ll digivolve and rip this guy apart!”

Hiroshi nodded and reached for his Digivice. “Go!”

Blackwargreymon placed his hands together and his entire body began to spin. “Black Tornado!” His spinning body dove into the floor, sending up a giant cloud of debris and smoke. When the dust cloud had dissipated, Blackwargreymon, Jeri and Oikawa were gone. “””””””””” ;””””””””””R 21;””””””””””&# 8221;”””””””””” ””””””

Myotsimon stared up at the large double doors. “So, this is the center of the Dark Ocean, is it? I would guess that if I were to generate a field that would prevent a ship from leaving, I’d put it in the center.”

He smiled to himself and started to walk inside. “””””””””R 21;””””””””””&# 8221;”””””””””” ””””””””””̶ 1;”””””””

When the digimon of the Digidestined and Tamers smashed through the door at the end of the hall, they entered a room that was full of computer and electrical equipment around the outer wall. Jeri was standing in the center, with Oikawa, Blackwargreymon, and Dragomon standing around her.

“You again?” Oikawa shouted, “What is it with you?”

“Jeri!” Takato shouted. The girl in the green dress stared at him, visibly shaken.

“T..takato..” she stuttered, “I..I…”

“Enough!” Dragomon shouted, firing his Forbidden Trident attack into the ground directly before the Digidestined and Tamers, sending them flipping over backwards. Blackwargrmon appeared a second later, landing into the floor with such force that it sent a shockwave through the ground, knocking the Digidestined that were not already on the ground onto their rears.

“They won’t bother us, my dear,” Oikawa smiled at Jeri, “Now, let’s see if you can tell me where D-reaper is.”

Jeri glared at him. “You still haven’t told me how you expect to control D-reaper.”

He mentioned to the mechanical equipment around the wall. “I know about D-reaper’s absorption properties. Once it absorbs this room, it will absorb that explosive equipment. I will threaten to destroy it from the inside if it does not obey.”

“That is a good idea, but it will not work against D-reaper!” she snapped back.

Oikawa grinned. “We shall find out, won’t we? Now, where is D-reaper?”

“Jeri!” Takato shouted. She turned to look at him, “Don’t do it! He’s going to ruin the entire world! Don’t tell him where D-reaper is!”

“You have to!” Oikawa shouted, “Remember what we talked about, remember the digimon that is going to ruin the world? Remember?”

“I..I..”

Oikawa grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her ferociously. “Tell me now! Tell me!” He stared into her eyes, but saw something strange, like a fire being released. She screamed, and some unknown force through him back. The others stared with horror and awe.

“Jeri?” Takato asked.

“You want D-reaper!” she screamed, “I am D-reaper, and D-reaper is me! We’re connected, and I’ve kept D-reaper inside of me for sixteen years! For sixteen years I was trapped inside of that seal, and now I am free!”

She spread her arms open and red tendrils exploded from her back, smashing into the wall and covering it with a thick red substance that flowed over all the four walls and smashing into the floor, sending a massive wave of red towards the Digidestined and Tamers. A massive light exploded from Kari’s pocket mysteriously.

“The Key Cards?” she asked.

The light from the Key Cards and the red substance of the D-reaper merged together, bathing the Digidestined and Tamers in a mysterious mixture. “What’s going on here?” Tatum shouted.

“D-reaper activated the Key Cards somehow!” Kari gasped as the mysterious reddish light completely enveloped them.

A few floors down, Myotismon was walking through the castle halls when the strange reddish light exploded through the walls itself, completely enveloping him. “””””””””” ””””””””””̶ 1;”””””””””” 221;”””””

When the mysterious light faded, Kari and Tk found themselves floating in a strange dark void. “Where are we?” Patamon asked.

“And where is everyone else?” Tk asked, looking around.

Kari suddenly gave a shocked yelp. “What is it?” the blond boy asked.

“There!” the brown-haired girl said, pointing to an area below them. There was a group of pre-teens and digimon floating in the darkness as well. They were facing a massive creature with a cube body.

“Apocalymon?” Tk asked, “Then, those kids…”

“It’s us,” Kari said, “The Key Cards brought us back here. They must have.”

“Or we’re in our memories,” Salamon said, “We were all here at the same time.”

The foursome watched as Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon started flying towards Apocalymon.

"Metal Wolf Claw!"

"Terra Force!"

The two attacks disintegrated Apocalymon's upper body in an explosive array of light that illuminated the dark void around him and the Digidestined

"We did it!" Matt cheered

"We destroyed all of his claws!" Joe said

"Still think you're so tough?" Tai asked

Apocalymon's body started to fold in on himself and turn back into a cube "Is that the best you've got?"

"You know you're beaten!" Matt said,"Face it like a mon!"

"You think so, huh? I might be beaten," Apocalymon said,"but I won't go down that easily I'll take you and both worlds with me!"

"What?" Tai asked

"You still haven't seen my ultimate attack! Total Annihilation!" His cube continued to shrink until it suddenly exploded in a tremendous blast of light.

"He's gonna destroy everything!" Matt said.

"I should have made out my will," Joe gasped.

"I'm too good looking to go!" Mimi protested.

"There must be a solution," Izzy rationalized.

"We won't give up!" Matt said.

"We're stronger than he is!" Tai agreed.
"We're a team!" Joe said.
"Its destiny!" Sora said.
"We're the Digidestined!" everyone cried.
Suddenly, their Digivices flew from their resting places on their belts and headed towards the growing ball of light. They arranged themselves in two triangles on both sides, on in each corner of each triangles: Izzy's purple one, then Mimi's green one, Joe's black one, Sora's red one, Matt's blue one, and last was Tai's orange one. The lattice of energy connected around the ball, preventing it from growing any larger. It exploded, but, the force never reached outside the energy cube.
"What happened?" Metalgarurumon asked.
"I'm not sure," Wargreymon said.
"What happened to the explosion?" Joe asked.
Izzy said," It was completely contained, by the power of our Digivices!"
"Then, we've won?" Mimi asked.
"Yes," Tai said, smiling proudly, "We won!"

The smoke from Apocalymon’s contained explosion was still floating in the sky behind them. The Digidestined moved away from the smoke slightly and examined the blackness around him. Mimi sighed as she looked around. "It looks like we were too late to save the Digital World."
"At least we were able to save Earth," Joe said, surprising everyone with his optimism.
"The Digital World hasn't been destroyed," Izzy said, riding on top of Megakabuterimon,"We're in a totally different area."
"What do you mean?" Matt asked.
Izzy mentioned with his hands to the dark void surrounding them. "After SpiralMountain was destroyed, it created a rip in time and space, opening a door to the, as Genai called it,"The place beyond the Wall of Fire."
"So," Tai said,"We just have to find the doorway and we'll be able to get out of here?"
Izzy nodded,"Yes, back to the real Digital World."
Tai nodded. He then felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned quickly. "Sora," he said, completely surprised when she kissed him directly on the lips. He pulled her away, a very surprised look on his face.
"Sorry," Sora said,"we just almost died...and...well, I..” She shrugged, “I guess I just got carried away."
Tai half smiled,"Hey, I didn't mind."
Matt did not say anything as he turned away. "We should get out of here."
"Yeah," Mimi said,"I just wish we could have stopped him before Wizardmon, Chuumon, Leomon, and Whamon were killed."
Joe looked at her, then over his shoulder. "AhhhAHHHHH!"
“What is it?” Mimi asked. She turned around and screamed as loud as she could. The other Digidestineds turned and stared at the dissipating smoke and screamed in turn. Apocalymon was very much alive and still floating in the sky.

“B..But how?” Izzy gasped.

“Do you really think that I would use an attack that would destroy meas well?” he laughed, “But you’re actually lucky, I can generally only use that attack once per battle. But I still have more then enough energy to destroy you!” He stared at Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon, “And you two shall be first!” He fired a blast of red light that shot towards the two digimon and their digidestined partners.

“Look out!” Sora shouted as she and Garudamon quickly flew in front of them. The red beams of light tore through the redheaded girl and her bird-woman partner.

“Sora!” Tai shouted.

“No…no!” Matt screamed.

Sora weakly smiled as she stared at them. “T..T..Tai,” she said, “You saved me from Datamon…n..n..now we’re even…T..Tai, I l..l..love you…” Her eyes slowly shut and her lifeless body floated in the darkness.

“Sora!” Tai shouted, “Sora, no!”

“Oh, Sora,” Matt cried, “Sora…”

Mimi was crying and Izzy and Joe were floating beside her. They were too absorbed in the horror that had just occurred to notice Apocalymon’s attack heading towards them. Tai could only stare at Sora’s body, but Matt noticed the screams of their friends and saw their lifeless bodies. “Izzy, Mimi, Joe!” he screamed, “No…No!”

Apocalymon laughed. “Now that they’re out of the way, you’re next!”

Tai held Sora’s body as tight as he could before finally releasing her. He stared up at Apocalymon with hate covering the tears dripping from his eyes. “Apocalymon!” he screamed, “You are going to pay for this!”

“Ha!” the evil digimon laughed, “Do you really expect me to be frightened of you? Ha ha ha!”

Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon leapt in front of their partners. Apocalymon continued to laugh. “You still won’t stop me! And once I…I…” He trailed off as he stared at a spot in the distance. “The exit!” he shouted.

“What’s he talking about?” Metalgarurumon asked.

“I don’t know,” Wargreymon replied, “What exit?”

“The exit to this world!” he shouted, “Finally, I shall be free once more!” He used two of his claws to smack Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon out of the way as he shot past them. The two digimon stared as the massive Apocalymon flew towards a glowing rip in the darkness and disappeared into it.

“He’s gone back to the Digital World!” Wargreymon exclaimed, “Tai, we’ve got to go after him. T..Tai?”

“Matt?” Metalgarurumon asked.

Both of their partners did not reply as they could only stare at their friend’s bodies. “We have to go,” Matt said, gently placing his hand on Tai’s shoulder. The goggle-wearer continued to stare at Sora’s lifeless body.

“Yes, to make him pay!”

Both humans grabbed a hold of their partners and quickly flew after Apocalymon. They glanced over their shoulders at the bodies of their friends, but knew that it was no use crying for them, they were dead.

Above them, Kari, Tk and their partners felt themselves being pulled after Tai and Matt. Eventually they passed through the exit gate and arrived in a massive desert. “I don’t remember this at all,” Kari said.

“Maybe it’s a repressed memory,” Tk suggested, “You know, like after we fought each other, how we kept remembering parts of our past lives? This memory must have just taken a long time to get to the surface.”

“Maybe,” Kari said. She stared at the desert below, focusing on Tai, Matt and their digimon partners, who were hovering around nervously. Suddenly, two claws erupted from the ground, almost hitting Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon.

“You fools!” Apocalymon shouted, exploding from the sand, “You could have lived if you had stayed behind.”

“You’re going to pay for what you did to our friends!” Tai shouted, “I’ll kill you for what you did to Sora!”

“Get him, Metalgarurumon!” Matt screamed, “Tear him apart!”

Wargreymon lifted up his hands and formed a glowing ball of energy between them. “Terra Force!”

Metalgarurumon pulled his head back, then shot it forward as a stream of blue energy blasted forth, “Metal Wolf Claw!”

The two attacks combined together and smashed into Apocalymon, throwing him towards the ground. The entire desert shook in a giant tremor as the explosion threw a geyser of sand straight into the night sky. The sand that was not thrown aside from the mighty eruption, created a ripple effect in the desert surface, shooting outward in a wave motion When the explosion finally died down, there was not a sound in the entire desert

Tai glanced at his companions “Did we win?”

Matt shook his head slowly “I don’t have any idea! I don’t see anything, maybe he was vaporized?”

“He couldn’t stand up against us!” Matt’s partner, Metalgarurumon growled in delight

The two boys suddenly heard Wargreymon scream at the top of his lungs “Watch out! Behind you!”

Tai and Matt spun around in time to watch as a massive figure, cloaked in darkness, exploded from underneath the desert sands. “You cannot defeat me!” Apocalymon screamed in delight,” I am invincible!” He shot two of his claws into Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon.

“Reverse Digivolve!”

The two mega digimon were covered by a dark light, and forced to return to their Rookie forms once more.

“We’re not going to be able to beat him,” Matt sighed.

“No!” Tai shouted, “I’m not going to give up! I refuse to let this monster continue to live! He has to pay for what he did, his evil can’t be allowed to roam free. For the crimes you’ve committed, the light of justice will destroy you!”

“You’re right,” Matt said, “I can’t give up. Hope can’t die!”

Suddenly, a bright light exploded from their chests. “Our crests?” Both humans stared at the glowing pendants around their necks. These crests began to twist and change, until two new crests were in their place.

“New crests?” Matt asked.

“And more power!” Tai grinned, “Agumon!”

Matt nodded. “Gabumon!”

“Agumon warp digivolve to…”

“Gabumon warp digivolve to…”

“Alforce V-dramon!”

“Anubimon!”

Alforce V-dramon was human type wearing massive blue armor and had two dragon wings on his back, while Anubimon had a human type body, a dog’s head and two large angel type wings fluttering behind him.

“New evolutions,” Tai said in awe.

“Amazing,” Matt added.

“I am not impressed!” Apocalymon shouted. He swung his claws at the two digimon, but they easily moved out of the way this time. Apocalymon growled.

“Anyone can get luck once, take this, Virus Grenade!” He began firing a barrage of object from his cube body at the two digimon.

A glowing sword emerged from Alforce V-dramon’s wrist, based armor. “Alforce Saber!” He began to quickly slash and cut each Virus Grenade that came towards him.

Anibumon had a less graceful manner. He place his hands in a triangle shape before his face and fired a triangle-shaped beam, that destroyed any grenades in its path. “Pyramid Power!”

Apocalymon was not about to give up yet. One of his claws twisted and changed to become a metal dragon with two cannons on his back. “Machinedramon’s attack, Giga Cannon!”

Alforce V-dramon simply used his sword to deflect the attack.

Apocalymon twisted another one of his claws. “Piedmon! Trump Sword!”

Anubimon shot out of the way with simply ease.

“No!” Apocalymon shouted, “No!”

“That’s it!” Matt shouted.

“You’re through!” Tai screamed.

Alforce V-dramon pointed his other wrist at Apocalymon and fired a beam of bright light. “Shinning V-force!”

Anubimon placed his hands together in a triangle shape. “Pyramid Power!”

Both attacks combined together and tore through Apocalymon’s chest. The evil digimon finally fell to the desert sands, defeated.

“We did it!” Tai cheered, “Alforce V-dramon, you’re the best!”

“You too, Anubimon,” Matt grinned.

“Ha!” Apocalymon laughed, “You did it, you beat me, but here’s something I need to tell you. I’m a bit of a sore loser!” Two of his remaining claws ripped up through the desert behind Tai and Matt. Their two partners jumped in the way, but these claws would not be stopped. They shot through Alforce V-dramon and Anubimon, deleting them before ripping through the chests of Tai and Matt. Apocalymon’s laughter filled the air as his body was slowly deleted.

“I will not be stopped!” he laughed, “You have defeated me, but my data will return, in a new form, a new body. I will return, as I have so many times before! You will not stop me! Hahaha!” His laughter echoed long after his body had vanished.

Tai and Matt stared at each other, trying to stop the massive bleeding from their missing chests. They would have spoken to each other, but there was not time. They soon fell lifelessly to the ground. The last two Digidestineds were dead.

Above them, Kari and Tk stared with open eyes and open mouths. Both of them were suddenly separated, following their past selves as they exited the Digital World and returned to Earth.

Kari watched as Tai’s spirit flowed from his desktop computer and over to the living room, where his mother and father were hugging each other on the coach. “He’s gone,” Mrs. Kamiya cried, “I..I can just feel it, Taichi’s dead.” She sobbed loudly.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Mr. Kamiya said, but his face betrayed his statement.

Tai’s spiritual form began to cry. “Mom, Dad, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you.” He suddenly moved towards his mother’s stomach. “Mom, you’re..you’re pregnant. How did I even know that? It’s like...I’m being called towards it.”

He looked up at the expressions on his parent’s faces. “I won’t leave you. I’ll stay by you.” He took a deep breath, completely instinctive now, and merged with the growing fetus inside of his mother’s womb.

Tk was in another part of the city, where his parents were staring up at the morning sky. “Yamato,” his mother cried, “Where are you? Why didn’t you come back to us yet?”

Matt’s spiritual form hovered before his mother. “Mom, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for making you worry, I’m sorry.” He frowned even more, “I just wish I could tell you.”

He went to hug his mother, but stopped. Something from his mother’s body was calling to him. He followed the feeling until he reached his mother’s mid-section. “A baby?” he asked, “You’re pregnant! I..I wonder if I can…” He slowly entered his mother’s womb, merging with the fetus inside. “”””””””R 21;””””””””””&# 8221;”””””””””” ”””””””

Takato soon found himself hovering inside of a subway car, with a group of beings seated below him.

“I don’t believe this,” Takato gasped.

“It’s us!” Guilmon cried, “When we were taking that Jeri/D-reaper thing to her home!”

“Shh!” Takato said.

Down below, the child Takato looked over at his fellow passenger. “Jeri, you haven’t eaten anything. Aren’t you hungry?”

He waited for a response, but when he received none, he continued speaking, “Well, guess not.” He took a deep breath. “You know Jeri, I’ve always wanted to tell you, you’re the nicest girl I’ve ever met. I mean, you always talked to me when no one else would. And it might sound silly but I always imagined that you might kinda like me the way..” he slowed down, “the way...I…like…you.”

He quickly blurted out, “I mean, it’s not like I think about you all the time, because I do!” He sighed. “Jeeze, this is hard. What I’m trying to say, more then just a friend, Jeri, is that I like you. I really do.”

‘Jeri’ gave a strange reply. Takato stood up and slowly walked down the isle. “I hate seeing you this way. I was so happy, you were a Tamer and got to come to the Digital World with us….but then Leomon died, and you became so sad. I thought if I brought you back to the real world you’d be yourself again. Now you just sit there, not saying or doing anything. I keep thinking how much is my fault, that if I never brought you to the Digital World, you’d still be happy, but you’re not. I’m sorry Jeri, sorry you had to go through all that, that I couldn’t help save Leomon. I just wish you would talk to me!”

He buried his head into his hands and began to weep.

Hovering in the sky, the young adult Takato and Guilmon watched as the scene started to change to teenage Takato and Guilmon, standing with Rika, Henry and their digimon partners, facing the four Sovereigns.

“It is the only way,” Azulongmon said, “We cannot defeat D-reaper.”

“But what will happen to Jeri?” Takato asked, “She’s still inside of that thing!”

“Takato, I understand how you feel,” Henry said, “I don’t want to do it either, but it might be the only way.”

“And we don’t even know that Jeri’s still alive,” Rika said.

“You’re wrong!” Takato shouted, “You’re wrong!”

“Takato,” Azulongmon said, “We cannot stop D-reaper, the only chance we have to survive is the seal it away.”

Takato hesitated, then closed his eyes and turned his head away. “Then do it! Just do it!”

Above them, the young adult Takato sighed deeply. “This was the day that I turned my back on Jeri. I knew she was alive inside of D-reaper, but I still let them seal it away. I should have tried harder.”

“You knew that we couldn’t beat D-reaper,” Guilmon said, “It was the only way.”

“I should have tried harder!” he said, “And now Jeri’s back. I won’t turn my back on her again!” “””””””̶ 1;”””””””””” 221;””””””””””& #8221;”””””””””” ;”’

Tatum was hovering above a section of Tokyo, watching as the Tamers ran across the bridge to meet a blond haired girl and a giant dog. “That’s me!” she gasped, “When I was Alice!”

Betamon stared at the blond haired girl. “That’s what you used to look like? No offense, but I think I prefer you now.”

Alice stared at the other three young teenagers. “You’re the Tamers. We’ve been searching for you.”

Takato nodded. “That’d be us. Do we know you?”

“I know you.”

Rika huffed. “How ‘bout a little more info there Blondie?”

The large canine standing beside her growled. “Are these children the ones I seek?”

“I think so,” Alice said, “I wish they weren’t.”

Henry stepped forward. “Ah, your partner looks a little tense.”

“Dobermon has been hunted mercilessly since arriving in the Real World.” She gave a weak smile, “It wants to stop his quest.”

“Okay,” Rika said, “What’s his quest?”

“To deliver a message,” Dobermon said.

“A message?” Takato asked, “From who?”

Before Dobermon could answer, the D-reaper began to attack. The Tamer digimon quickly evolved to their Ultimate levels, but it was still not enough. “We need to bio-merge!”

“We’re not data,” Henry said, “There’s no way to bio-merge.”

“Yes, there is,” Alice slowly said, “That’s why I’m here, that’s why I brought him.”

“Dobermon?” Takato asked, “What do you mean?”

“That is my quest. I was sent by the Sovereigns to help you.” He gently nuzzled Dobermon. “Thank you, Alice, but you know what I must do. I’ll never forget what you’ve done, for all of us.”

Tatum and Betamon were suddenly transported to another area, the Digidestined’s battle with Myotismon atop the television station. Matt was standing directly before Myotismon, while the rest of the Digidestined, including Alice, stood around him. Myotismon swung open his hands as a wave of bats shot towards the goggle-wearing leader. “Grisly Wing!”

Matt and Gabumon stared with horror in their eyes, which grew even more as Alice jumped in front of them and was torn apart by the insidious bats. “Next time,” Myotismon growled, “Don’t get in my way!”

“Oh no, Alice!” Matt shouted, kneeling down beside her. The blond girl slowly opened her eyes.

“Matt, are you okay?” she asked, in a very weak voice.

“You saved me,” he said, dropping his eyes, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Sorry I got you involved in this.”

Alice smiled. “I was involved before you. And I don’t have any regrets. I’m glad I met all of you, so much. Thank you.” She closed her eyes for the final time.

Above them, Tatum and Betamon stared in shock. “I thought you said you died with the others?” the digimon asked.

“I..I thought I did,” she gasped, “But I never really remembered! I..I don’t know what to say…” “””””””& #8221;”””””””””” ;””””””””””R 21;””””””””””&# 8221;””

Yolei, Catherine and their partners found themselves hovering above a group of teenagers that they instantly recognized. “Zat iz uz!” Catherine exclaimed, “Right after we beat Metalseadramon.”

“Yeah,” Yolei said, “W..what’s going on here?”

“Maybe we’re remembering this?” Hawkmon suggested, “But Kari did say something about the Key Cards acting weird.”

The group remained silent as they heard shouts from below. “Let’s get going,” Tai ordered.

“Wait,” Mimi said, “We’re not through here yet.”

Tai turned to stare at her. She was making odd mounds in the dirt. “Mimi, what are you doing?

Matt glared at him. “In case you hadn’t noticed, some of our friends are gone.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Mimi stood up and pointed to the small mounds, which now had crosses pushed into the top. “That one there is for Alice, that one is for Pixiemon, the one next to it is for Chuumon, and that one is to remember Whamon.”

Sora walked over to her and smiled motherly. “Mimi, they’re not dead, it’s like they were downloaded to a different computer.”

Tai growled. “What better reason to get the Dark Masters, payback for making our friends leave!”

“I’m not going!” Mimi announced, “Every time we fight we end up losing another friend.”

“This is war, Mimi!” Tai shouted, “Sometimes our friends get hurt, so deal with it!”

“Stop it, Tai!” she shouted, clamping her hands over her ears.

“Leave her alone Tai!” Matt shouted, “Why don’t you think of someone else’s feelings for once! Not everyone has ice running through their veins like you do!”

“Stop it, all of you!” Sora shouted, “Let’s just keep going and remember that we’re all friends here.”

Above them, Catherine and Yolei turned to each other. “I remember this all right,” Yolei said.

“I az well,” Catherine said. She sighed. “I don’t mean to sound mean, but I t’ink being reborn as a girl haz helped him wit’ hiz anger.” She smiled slightly at Yolei. “Je suis désolé”

Yolei shrugged. “It’s okay. It’s strange but, I…I really don’t fell the same way towards Kari as I did before.” She sighed, “I’m so confused, and I need to figure out why.”

The world quickly changed around them, to a scene of the Digidestined sleeping near a large tree in the forest that must have taken place after defeating Metalseadramon but before encountering Puppetmon. Sora and Mimi were standing a short distance from the sleeping preteens.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” Mimi asked.

Sora sighed. “Mimi, I need to tell this to someone and since you’re the only other human girl here…”

Mimi smiled, eager to hear some gossip. “What?”

Sora took a deep breath. “I..I’m in love with Tai.”

“You’re in love with Tai?” she grinned, “Oh come on Sora, everybody knows that.” She hugged her, “Still, I’m glad you told me first.”

“You know Mimi,” Sora said, “We’re almost complete opposites, aren’t we? You’re the type of girl that I would never have wanted to be friends with. To tell you the truth, I’d rather hang you with boys instead of other girls.”

Mimi frowned. “Yeah, well I usually don’t like girls that kinda act like boys. But you’re a really nice person.”

“So are you, even if you’re a little ditzy sometimes.”

The two girls hugged each other tightly. “I’m glad we’re friends,” Mimi said.

“Me two,” Sora nodded.

Above them, Yolei and Catherine hovered over the scene. They slowly turned to towards each other. “We were best friends, weren’t we?” Catherine said.

“Yeah,” she said, “We were. I think maybe, we could be again?”

The blond girl grinned. “Oui.” “”””””” ””””””””””̶ 1;”””””””””” 221;””””””””””& #8221;””

Hiroshi and Penmon found themselves floating above a fierce battle occurring on a mountain top. “Where are we?” the digimon asked.

“I have no idea,” Hiroshi responded, “The Key Cards sent us here somehow.”

His partner gasped, “Look!”

The human glanced down and gasped as well. He saw Oikawa and Blackwargreymon standing amidst the bodies. They were facing a ten-year-old boy with a strange creature hovering behind them. “Is that us?”

“That’s defiantly you,” Penmon said, “But if that digimon is me, then I don’t remember it at all.”

“Memory manipulation,” he muttered, “That’s what Oikawa said happened to us.”

Below them, the ten-year-old Hiroshi and his mysterious digimon faced Oikawa and Blackwargreymon. The adult laughed. “So, the traitors sent a child to stop me? They are either very stupid, or have tremendous faith in you.”

The ten-year-old Hiroshi did not answer. He mentioned to his mysterious digimon, who shot over the young boy’s head and started to battle Blackwargreymon. The two digimon battled for what seemed like an eternity before Blackwargreymon finally fell.

Oikawa and his defeated partner stared up at the young boy, who now seemed larger then life. A Chinese man and woman soon appeared beside the ten-year-old boy. “Cho Hung!” Oikawa screamed, “You are the leader of the rebellion against me?”

“That is correct,” the older man answered, “And you have been defeated. Now leave!”

“I defeated Oikawa,” the sixteen-year-old Hiroshi said, “Just like he said. It was true, all of it! True.” “””””””” ;””””””””””R 21;””””””””””&# 8221;”””””””””

Myotismon found himself hovering over what appeared to be a trial. Yes, he knew exactly what it was, he had seen it many times before in his nightmares. The trial ‘participants,” were Venommyotismon, Ryo and Gennai. The vampire lord was standing with his arms tied behind his back and he also had a metal mask clamped over his mouth.

“Venommyotismon,” Gennai said, “For the crimes you have committed, I sentence you to be exiled behind the protective seal of the Destiny Stones!”

“You can’t!” Venommyotismon shouted, “No one knows what exists there!”

“Yes we can!” Ryo shouted, “You have committed heinous crimes! The Digidestineds defeated you, but you still returned! You must be placed where you will never harm anyone again!”

Above them, the present-day Myotismon stared with hate. “I must make them pay for trapping me behind the seal for sixteen years! They will all pay!” “””””””” ””””””””””̶ 1;”””””””””” 221;””””””””””< /i>

Oikawa was staring down at a scene from his past as well, one he remembered quiet clearly. He saw himself as a younger man, talking to someone he once considered a great man, and a greater research partner.

“Dr. McCoy,” Oikawa said, “I understand that you want to find a way into the Digital World to find your father, but can’t you see the possible benefits of mapping out this world?”

The blond man shook his head. “Yukio, if there is a world that was entirely created from our internet, then I think it would be better to keep it silent. Who knows what kind of creatures populate this world. I only want to find my father, if only so my daughter can know him.”

“I think Alice would benefit more from having a father that was the discoverer of an entire world!”

McCoy raised his hand. “I won’t talk about this anymore!”

The scene started to change, turning to one of Oikawa facing Phantomon. He pointed his finger at the ghost. “I may have lost my Dark SEED organization, but you have lost your leader as well. I can survive on my own, can you?”

Phantomon laughed, “Myotismon may have been defeated by the Digidestined, but now we have a new God of Darkness. He and his unholy warriors will help us to regain our former position as the rulers of this world! They are going to revive the fallen god!”

“No!” Oikawa shouted, “You cannot bring him back! Do you know the power he represents?”

“Yes we do,” Phantomon laughed, “And you and everyone will be destroyed by the darkness!” “””””””&# 8221;”””””””””” ””””””””””̶ 1;””””””””””

When the strange light finally faded, Kari was standing in a hallway, alone except for loyal Salamon. “Hey, w..where are we?”

Salamon frowned. “Why are we by ourselves?”

“I don’t know,” she said, “Maybe when the Key Cards and D-reaper combined, they sent us away from the others.” She sighed, “I really wish Ken was here, I bet he’d know.”

The rookie digimon looked over at the walls. “Kari, look! That red stuff, it’s everywhere!”

Kari walked over and lightly touched the red substance. It was squishy, and pulsed as if it was alive. She did notice that it was moving. “It’s slithering across the wall,” she said, “So if it’s moving from that one place, then if we just follow it backwards, we should get back to the room.”

Her partner nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

They started running. Once they rounded a corner they ran straight into Takato and Guilmon. “Are you two okay?” the Tamer asked, “What happened to us?”

“I think the Key Cards had something to do with it,” Kari smiled slightly. She quickly told him her plan, and they soon began to run once again. “””””””””&# 8221;”””””””””” ””””””””””̶ 1;””””””””

“Wh ere is everyone?” Tk asked, walking through the red mass of the D-reaper.

“We all got separated,” Patamon frowned, “I guess we should try to find everyone.”

The blond boy agreed and they ran through the halls until Patamon started to become tense. “What’s wrong?” Tk asked.

“Someone’s coming, strong and powerful!”

Tk was about to ask for more information, when Dragomon ripped through the red mass of the D-reaper. Both the human and the squid digimon stared at one another. “You!” they both shouted.

Dragomon gripped his trident. “I think you owe me a rematch you little punk!”

Tk grabbed his digivice. “Fine!”

“Patamon digivolve to Angemon! Angemon digivolve to Magna Angemon! Magna Angemon digivolve to Goldramon!” “”””””””& #8221;”””””””””” ;”””””””’’’R 17;’’’’’’’’’’&# 8217;’’’’’’’’’’ ’’’’

Hiroshi and Penmon were charging through the halls as fast as they could. “Where the hell is everybody?”

Penmon was about to respond, when he suddenly jumped at his partner’s back, tackling him to the ground, seconds before a black figure shot over head. “Watch out!”

Hiroshi stared at the invading figure. “Blackwargreymon? That means that…” He jumped back onto his feet and spun around, seeing Oikawa standing before him.

“You! What are you doing here?”

“What do you think!”

Hiroshi growled at him. “So, what you said was true, isn’t it? I was some kind of...lab rat for you, one that bit you in the ass in the end, huh?”

He smiled. “But I’ve noticed that your digimon isn’t the same as he once way. I’m taking you out, once and for all!” he shouted, “You Digidestined ruined my plans for controlling D-reaper! I’m not going to allow you to stop me from regaining control of this ultimate weapon! Prepare to die!”

Hiroshi grabbed his digivice. “Ready, Penmon?”

“Penmon digivolve to Seadramon! Seadramon digivolve to Megaseadramon! Megaseadramon digivolve to Gigaseadramon!” “””””””R 21;””””””””””&# 8221;”””””””””” ””””””””””̶ 1;””””””””

Outside, the three hours were up and Davis’s small group was standing before the entrance to the Sovereign Castle, which was almost completely covered by red mass. Tendrils of red shot out of the windows and through the brick walls. “What the heck is that thing?”

“D-reaper,” Henry said, “I’d recognize it anywhere.”

“Well, what do we do now?” Davis asked.

“We need to get inside,” Rika said, “And that means blasting our way through.”

“Sounds good to me,” Davis said, “Veemon!”

“Veemon digivolve to Exveemon! Exveemon digivolve to Paildramon!”

Henry and Rika both glanced at their partners. “Go.” They slid their blue cards across the side of their D-arcs. “Digi-modify! Matrix digivolution activate!”

“Terriermon matrix digivolve to Rapidmon!”

“Renamon matrix digivolve to Taomon!”

The three ultimate digimon quickly fired their most power attacks and blew away the red mass covering the main door to the castle. What remained was a hallway covered by the same red mass.

Davis nodded. “Let’s go.” “””””””””& #8221;”””””””””” ;””””””””””R 21;””””””””””&# 8221;””””””

“Pyro Blaster!”

“Lightning Paw!”

The two attacks together destroyed the door to the main control room, and when Takato and Kari ran inside, they saw what they expected to see, the entire room covered with the red mass, except for the detonation equipment. In the center of the room, connected to the red mass through her back, was Jeri.

“Jeri!” Takato shouted.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she said, almost without emotion, “I tried to push you out of the castle, why are you still here?”

“Because you’re here,” Takato said.

“What are you going to do?” Kari asked.

“I am going to destroy D-reaper,” she said, “Oikawa was right, an explosion will destroy D-reaper, but only from the inside. The detonation has to destroy D-reaper’s Kernel of Intelligence…me.”

“You?”

“That is right. D-reaper and I are connected, but D-reaper is weak from being imprisoned for sixteen years. It would do anything to keep me from being harmed, but I am in control now, I won’t let it save me. If I die, D-reaper dies. You must leave.”

She grunted, almost in pain. The portions of the D-reaper that were oozing outside of the castle suddenly fired two blast of energy in opposite directions. One smashed into the Tower of Zhuqioamon, and the other impacted the Tower of Azulongmon. Both mighty structures collapsed to the ground.

“I have destroyed the remaining towers,” she said, “The seal around the Dark Ocean has been broken .The gates you used to get here are open once again. Please leave.”

“I’m not leaving without you!” Takato shouted.

Jeri ignored him and glanced at the detonation equipment. A red tendril ripped out of her back and merged with the machine. It started to hum and beep as a set of numbers appeared on its digital display: 1:00:00, and began to count backwards.

“You have one hour,” she said, “Then you must…” She frowned.

“What?” Gatomon asked.

“He is coming here,” she said, “I won’t allow him to.” Her eyes shot open and the red mass began to shake. “””””””””̶ 1;”””””””””” 221;””””””””””& #8221;”””””””

50: 59

Myotismon leapt into the air to avoid being struck by a red tentacle. “I do not know what manner of being you are,” she said, “But I will not allow you to stop me Crimson Lighting!”

Two red beams of light snaked out from his hands. He whipped them into the invading red tendrils, smashing them into red blobs of data. He could sense that two more were heading towards him from behind. He twisted around, firing a large group of bats from his hands. “Grisly Wing!” The red tentacles of the D-reaper were gone.

“Now, I must not be stopped on my mission!” he growled. He continued to walk until he passed a set of double doors, not yet surrounded by the D-reaper. “I wonder what is in here? Grisly Wing!”

The night raid of bats ripped open the door. The vampire digimon walked inside another room filled with computer equipment. He walked over to what he surmised to be the main console, which had a computer screen, displaying a line of computer code.

“What have we here? Energy suppression field? I think this is exactly what I came looking for.” He type in a new set of commands and pressed enter.

Outside, in the marshes of the Dark Ocean, the Boreas still remained motionless. Inside the bridge, Ken, and the other Digidestined were lazily sitting around when the computer equipment suddenly began to activate. The computer consoles booted up and the overhead lights flickered to life.

Cody and Derek glanced at each other, while Ken twisted around in his pilot’s seat. “Power’s back!” he exclaimed.

“Get you get us airborne?” Yuehon asked.

“I’m going to try,” he said. He started to take off procedures. Outside the ship, the helicopter propellers began to spin with enough strength to lift the ship off the ground. The engine turbines fired and the ship shot forward. “”””””””” 221;””””””””””& #8221;”””””””””” ;””””””””

45: 00

Gigaseadramon leapt into the air to avoid being cut into pieces by Blackwargreymon’s impressive claws. The serpent flicked his tail quickly, sending gray waves at the dinosaur digimon. “Sky Wave!” The dramon destroyer batted the serpent’s attack away with a flick of his black gauntlets. He was not fazed in the least, as he quickly shot at Gigaseadramon’s body.

“Look out!” Hiroshi shouted.

The dragon twisted into a circle, and Blackwargreymon shot through it, leaving Gigaseadramon harm free. While the dinosaur digimon was facing the other direction, the serpent flipped his tail around and smacked it into Blackwargreymon’s back.

“Do not lose, do you hear me?” Oikawa snarled.

“Don’t let those claws touch you,” Hiroshi warned, “Be careful.”

In another portion of the castle, Goldramon and Dragomon continued to battle. “You lied to me, you tricked me!” the squid shouted, “I will never forgive you for that!”

“Forgive me?” Goldramon asked, “I never asked you to forgive me?”

“Besides which,” Tk said, “Why would we even care?”

Dragomon spun his trident around in such a quick fashion that it sent the bronze digimon falling over onto his back.” “”””””””” ;””””””””””R 21;””””””””””&# 8221;”””””””

40:55

I nside of the main room, Jeri suddenly lifted her head. “They’re losing.”

“Losing?” Kari asked, “Who?”

“They must leave,” Jeri said, completely ignoring them, “I will stop them.” “”””””””” ;””””””””””R 21;””””””””””&# 8221;”””””””””” ”””

30:00

As Blackwargreymon and Gigaseadramon continued to battle, they did not notice that the red mass covering the wall had begun to move. The red organism suddenly extended groups of tentacles that shot towards the evil digimon and wrapped around his body, keeping him from moving.

“What’s going on?” Oikawa demanded.

Hiroshi did not know, nor did he particularly care. “Gigaseadramon, now’s your chance!”

The serpent digimon pulled his head back, but shot it forward, sending out a ball of blue light. “Giga Sea Destroyer!”

The beam of intense aquatic energy engulfed Blackwargreymon, before heading directly towards Oikawa. The human screamed loudly as his body was completely blown apart. “Tough break,” Hiroshi grinned, “Looks like I win again.”

“Oh man,” Gigaseadramon said, landing on the ground, “I think I’m beat.” He shot his head up as he heard the sound of energy being collected. He pushed Hiroshi to the ground seconds before part of the red-mass covered hallway was blown apart. He stared up at the hole, bracing for another battle, but breathed with a sigh of relief when he saw familiar faces standing on the other side.

“Motomiya!” Hiroshi gasped, “W..what are you doing..”

“It’s been three hours,” he said, tapping his watch, “Remember?”

He stood up and dusted off his clothes. “Forget that. We’ve got to find the others, quickly!”

15:00

As the countdown continued, Goldramon and Dragomon continued to battle. The squid pointed his three-pronged staff at the dragon digimon. “Forbidden Trident!” Each one of the points fired a bolt of black lightning into Goldramon, causing him to skid backwards, growling in pain.

“You through, do you hear me!” Dragomon shouted, almost to the point of insanity, “I’ll kill you!”

Suddenly, without warning, parts of the D-reaper attacked him, wrapping around his arms and legs, keeping him from moving. “What’s going on?” Tk asked.

“I don’t know,” Goldramon answered, “But I’ve got a clear shot now! This ends, Dragomon, right here and now!” He opened his mouth and bright bronze flames erupted from his mouth. “Gold Flame!”

As opposed to Blackwargreymon and Oikawa, Dragomon screamed like an infant as his body dissolved before his eyes.

Goldramon floated to the ground and regressed back to Patamon. “Let’s get out of here!” the human ordered. “”””””””” 221;””””””””””& #8221;”””””””””” ;”””””””

13:50

Jeri looked over at the two humans. “You only have ten minutes left,” she said, still almost completely unemotionally, “You need to leave at once.”

“I can’t leave without you,” Takato said, stepping closer.”

“Your friends have already defeated Oikawa and Dragomon,” she responded, “There is no longer any reason for you to be here.”

“But what about you?” Kari asked, “Come on, you need to come with us.”

“I will not allow D-reaper to continue to live,” she said.

“And I can’t continue to live without you,” Takato said. He and Guilmon slowly walked towards Jeri. The young girl stared at him.

“T..T..Takato?” she asked, her voice finally quivering with emotion once more.

Kari glanced over at the clock. “Ten minutes!” she shouted.

Takato continued to stare into Jeri’s eyes. “I have spent the past sixteen years living without you, and now you’re here, once again. I can’t live without Jeri, I love you too much.”

“Takato!” she cried, hugging him tightly. Their heads moved towards each other, but Kari and Gatomon were suddenly pushed out of the room by a tremendous wave or red matter.

“Takato!” Kari shouted, pounding at the red mass that now covered the doorway, “Takato!” She took a deep breath, grabbed Gatomon, and began to run down the hall.

“Kari?” the white digimon asked.

“We’ve got to get out of here!”

As the brown-haired girl continued to run through the D-reaper covered halls, she passed by the rest of her group. “Kari?” Davis asked.

“We’ve got to get out of here!” she shouted, “The entire place is going to explode!”

“What about Takato?” Rika gasped.

“Takato’s not coming! We’ve got to go, now! We’ve got less then ten minutes!”

The others hesitated for a moment before charging after the brown-haired girl. Most of the hallways had already been covered with the red mass of the D-reaper, and rather then waste time fighting against it, they simply ran down whatever hallway they could. Davis came to a short stop, wildly swinging his arms in circles to keep himself from falling. The hall had come to an abrupt end with a doorway that opening to the outside, in the middle of the castle. When Davis final got control of his momentum and stopped from falling, he looked down. "Wow," he said, "That's at least a couple of miles straight down. We'd never survive."

“Yeah,” Kari sighed, “But the castle is going to blow in less then five minutes.”

“Now what do we do?” Yolei asked.

The group suddenly felt a powerful blast of wind, but they could make out a voice carrying over the wind, “Ahoy!”

“Armadillomon?” Veemon asked.

“Look!” Floramon shouted.

The group stared in awe as the Boreas quickly lowered itself from the upper sky. The twin doors were open, with Cody and Armadillomon standing inside, waving at them. Kari grinned. “Get in, hurry!”

Each member of the group jumped through the doors before they closed. The ship twisted around as fast as it could, pointing its massive jets towards the castle. They did not notice Myotismon, disguised as a bat, fly up from the opening in the castle and sneak inside through one of the porthole-shaped windows.

“Ken!” Kari shouted, running into the bridge, “Get us out of here!”

Ken nodded from his pilot’s seat and pushed the throttle forward in a controlled manner, propelling the ship even faster as it shot away from the castle. There was a loud rumble, and the Sovereign Castle soon exploded in a mighty blast of smoke and light. The Tamers and the Digidestined watched through the glass windows littering the side of the ship.

“That’s it,” Henry said, “He’s really gone.”

Kari sighed. “He really loved her, huh?”

“Yes, he did,” Rika said, “He really wasn’t ever happy, you know, when he wasn’t with her. He must have been in so much pain, for sixteen years.”

“But they’re together now,” Renamon commented.

“Yeah,” Rika smiled, “They are.”

Henry took a deep breath. “Well, I guess our mission’s over then. The Digital Gate we used to get here is inside of a cave.”

The Boreas soon landed near a collection of dark mountains, directly in front of a massive cave. The Digidestined stood outside to bid farewell to their friends.

Henry smiled slightly. “It feels like we’ve known you for years.”

“Yeah, I feel the same way,” Kari said.

Rika and Catherine stared at one another. “I’m sorry that you lost Jeri once again,” the blond girl said.

Rika nodded. “Thank you. It hurt even more the first time, but knowing that she and Takato are together…” She smiled slightly, “It doesn’t hurt as much.” She sighed, but still retained her smile, “But it hurts when I think that I won’t see you again.”

Catherine reached over and hugged her. “Au revoir mon ami.”

“Ditto,” the orange haired girl said, “I’m going to miss you.”

Renamon gently placed her paw on Rika’s shoulder. “It’s time.”

Henry, Terriermon, Rika and Renamon said their final goodbyes and entered the cave, disappearing into the Digital Gate hidden inside. The Boreas was soon flying through the sky once again.

“We’re heading towards the Digital Gate that will take us back home,” Ken said.

Kari nodded as she looked at the Dark Ocean. “This was once the home world of the Sovereigns, its amazing how even the place you think would be the most un-corruptible, would turn out like this. What does that say about the way of the world, huh?” She shook her head and smiled, “But, finally, we’re going home!” The airship entered the hovering the Digital Gate and vanished from the Dark Ocean. “””””””””̶ 1;”””””””””” 221;””””””””””& #8221;””””

The Chess-player lifted his head. “So, they’re coming back?”

The Woman in Red nodded. “Yes sir. Our sensors indicate that the Digidestined have passed through the Digital Gate to the Dark Ocean.”

“So, they will no doubt attempt to stop us. We can’t let them, not when we’re so close. We must prepare for them.” He gently lifted his finger, “The first time they oppose us, we will reveal ourselves to them. Alert the others.”

The Woman in Red nodded once again and turned to leave the throne room. The Chess-player, the God of Darkness, called out to her.

“Oh, and Sora, I trust you to handle them.”

She nodded. “Yes, Lord Taichi. I will not fail you.”

Preview:

The Digidestined have finally escaped the DarkOcean. They return to the Digital World, only to discover that it is not as they left it. The Gods of the Cult of Darkness reveal themselves, and the lives of the Digidestined will never be the same again.

Next: “ Apocalypse: Masters of Evil!” The final battle begins.”

Author’s note:

Comments on the flashback scenes. Kari and Tk remembered finally, for the first time, what really happened during the fight with Apocalymon, Myotismon’s, and Takato’s flashbacks just really expanded on their characters, and Oikawa and Tatum showed their new origins for this story. In chapter 16: DARK OCEAN: Entrance,” Tatum talks about her father and his weird friend, well, as you can see, Oikawa was that friend.

And yes, the final arc begins, and I’ve still got a few surprises in store. I hope you enjoy, and please remember to review.