"I want to help too!" Agumon exclaimed after the emperors mind-controlled minions were dealt with, charging at the boy in question.
"I'm sorry you had to wait for so long." the Digimon Emperor said smugly as he threw a red glowing spiral at the orange dinosaur.
"Watch out Agumon!" Tai yelled as he was sprinting after his partner.
He was too late as the spiral had already attached itself to Agumon's right arm.
The orange dinosaur stood still for a moment and Tai came to a halt a few feet behind his partner, wondering what had happened.
"Now, come to me my servant!" the emperor with a wave of his arm.
"Agumon?" Tai asked, hoping his friend would not listen to those words.
As the brown haired teen took a step forward Agumon turned around and spat a ball of fire at him, his eyes glowing a crimson red.
"Watch out!" Davis yelled as he tackled the older digidestined out of the way.
Although the attack did not hit him full force, Tai still felt a sharp pain running through his body. The fireball had scorched his knee and left a pretty serious burn with the edges of his trousers still smoldering where it had hit.
The real pain however came from being attacked by his partner and closest friend.
Not waiting for anything the Digimon Emperor raised his black Digivice and called for Agumon to digivolve.
The little dinosaur responded and was surrounded by a black light before he started growing until he eventually took on the form of Metalgreymon. His body however was not the same brilliant orange it usually displayed but a mixture of grey, black and dark blue.
T.K., Kari, Davis and Cody, as well as their Digimon just stood there wondering how Agumon could digivolve without Tai's Digivice.
"Agumon?" Tai whispered in disbelieve as stumbled towards his partner.
"This is not your partner anymore, it is now my slave!" the emperor exclaimed form Metalgreymon's shouder.
"Now, go on and show them the power of an ultra level!"
At this command Metalgreymon roared and stabbed his metal claw at Tai. The bushy haired teen didn't have the strength left to avoid and neither the younger Digidestined nor their Digimon were currently close enough, or capable to, save him in time.
Real world, about an hour earlier
It was unusual for her to space out during training but her teammates, for once, just let her. She seemed pretty out of it after her talk with that cute soccer-team captain a little earlier.
They just assumed it was a confession and left it at that.
For once she was thankful that her teammate didn't try teasing her about boys and let her just sit back for a while.
She didn't know when exactly the scenery around her changed, but she now found herself in a desert. Looking around she could see the bodies of several Digimon slowly disintegrating into data as well as some human bodies.
A spiky, brown haired boy in a leather jacket with flames on it was holding a slowly fading Veemon in his arms. Armadillomon was lying atop a heavily burnt, but still breathing, Cody.
A little bit further ahead a badly hurt Angemon was doing his best to fend off a barrage of missiles heading towards his partner. T.K. was clutching an impaled and blood-coughing Kari to his chest although he himself had a badly twisted arm and his fair share of cuts and bruises.
Gatomon lay crushed beneath a black Metalgreymon's foot.
She looked around in shock until her eyes came to a rest on the metal claw of the ultra-level Digimon, or more precisely on the lifeless body still impaled on the middle claw.
She came to her senses again as she felt someone lay a hand on her shoulder.
"…you alright?"
"N-no… I'll go home early if you don't mind." the girl in question answered as she got up and rushed to get her bag from the changing room.
The other girl called something after her but she ignored her completely.
"Please… be safe." She prayed under her breath as she rushed out of the school gates.
~Tai…
Digital world, present
Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Kari was getting into a sprint to reach her brother in time. She knew that she would never make it in time but she refused to believe that it was inevitable. They had always come through, no matter who their adversary was or how bad the odds were against them.
A cloud of sand and dust erupted from where the giant metal claw hit the ground and Kari was thrown back by the shockwave. Getting to her knees she stared at the spot her brother was in just moments ago, unable to move even the tiniest muscle in her body.
Silence descended over the plain, only the sound of the sand raining back down could be heard.
That however was soon shattered by a dark laugh from the Digimon Emperor as he started to rant about how he was going to do the same to the other Digidestined.
"Burn that bastard Flamedramon!" Davis was the first to come back to his senses as he barked the order.
The Digimon in question sprung into action and charged at Metalgreymon. The closer it got the hotter the flames around him seemed to burn.
Digmon followed his friend's lead and ran after him.
Pegasmon and Nefertimon dedigivolved back into Patamon and Gatomon since their partners had lost their fighting spirit.
After a short fight Flamedramon was knocked away by Metalgreymons tail while Digmon managed to avoid a direct hit from its chest-launched rockets. Both were knocked out due to the force of the attacks and reverted back to their rookie-forms.
Metalgreymon however started to move forward and was about to squash Kari beneath his foot as Gatomon pushed her partner out of the way, only to be crushed herself.
Kari stared at the place where her friend had just been before she let out a scream of despair at losing both her brother and Gatomon.
"ENOUGH!" T.K. yelled in anger as his Digivice started to shine a brilliant white.
Patamon and his partner just nodded at each other as the Digimon started flying towards their enemy.
"Patamon digivolve to…" the small orange backed Digimon began as he was engulfed by the light coming from T.K.'s Digivice.
"… Angemon!"
The Digimon Emperor watched in disbelief as he saw what had happened before him. He quickly regained his composure and tried to negate the happening with his black Digivice but the wave of dark energy just harmlessly bounced of the light emenating from T.K.'s.
"Angemon, please keep Metalgreymon off us for as long as you can." T.K. said as he ran towards Kari.
"I will do my best." the angel answered as he surged towards Metalgreymon.
T.K. picked up Kari and ran to the others, who had already picked up their partners and they started running away from the battleground as a group.
"Hey! Guys!" Yolei yelled as she passed them in a small lore propelled by wind, her partner Hawkmon by her side.
"Thank the gods you are here." T.K. exhaled as they all boarded the lore.
As soon as they were on board Yolei released the breaks and they started moving again.
"Where are Tai and Gatomon?" the purple haired girl asked after Angemon had caught up them.
After glancing at Kari Davis looked back at Yolei and just shook his head with downcast eyes.
It took her a moment to realize what it meant and she covered her mouth in shock.
"Metalgreymon is going to catch up to us very soon." Angemon said with a grave voice.
