I don't own Digimon.

This is a one shot story about Digimon, set in season two during the Ultimate Anti-Hero episode. Instead of them being spared by BlackWarGreymon, he tries to finish the job. But instead, Davis and Veemon hold him off while the others escape. But will it all go according to plan?

To Be A Leader

Davis stood beside Cody as they watched Paildramon fight BlackWarGreymon, the control spire Digimon that Arukenimon had created. BlackWarGreymon looked exactly like WarGreymon except that he was black. Also his eyes held hunger for bloodlust that could not be satisfied. That alone scared Davis to no end, not for himself but for the others. T.K. and Kari were already down and almost out. Yolei was all but useless in this fight as was Cody. And only him and Ken could hold BlackWarGreymon off.

Time was running out, Paildramon flew high into the air as he unleashed his Desperado Blaster attack. The bullets destroyed the area around BlackWarGreymon as they bounced off of his sleek armor.

'What can I do? What can I do?' Davis was desperate for a plan of action. He had heard of the stories from Tai about how powerful WarGreymon was. And if his dark counter part was anything like the original then this fight would be over soon.

'We're gonna need a miracle at this rate!' Davis thought as he watched BlackWarGreymon laugh as Paildramon finished his attack. 'wait that's it! A miracle!'

Looking over at Ken, Davis called out to him. "Ken, get everyone out of here! The portal is a mile that way!" Davis shouted.

"What are you going to do?" Ken shouted back.

"I'm going to perform a miracle!" Davis said as he ran toward Paildramon. "Paildramon, De-Digivolve now!"

"What? Are you crazy? We're right in the middle of the fight of our lives!" the Stingmon half said.

"Trust me!" Davis shouted.

"I trust you Davis!" The ExVeemon half said. Then in a flash of bright light, the fused Digimon reverted back into Stingmon and ExVeemon.

"Now what?" Stingmon asked.

"You get everyone else to the portal in the forest back there. Veemon and I will hold BlackWarGreymon off." Davis said as ExVeemon turned back into Veemon.

"But Davis…he's too…powerful…" T.K. struggled to say. He was still conscious but barely and he was fighting a losing battle to stay awake.

"He's right…don't try to be a hero…" Kari said. Both of them were on their knees as Davis stood in front of them to shield them from BlackWarGreymon.

Glancing backward, Davis flashed Kari a large smile. "I'm not trying to be a hero, just a leader." he said. Turning back to Veemon. "Now, are you ready partner?"

"You bet, Davish!" Veemon said excitedly.

"What are you doing to do?" Kari asked him.

"I'm going to perform a miracle…" Davis said as he pulled out his D-Terminal.

"Why?" Kari couldn't understand why Davis was risking so much just to buy them time. didn't he realize it was pointless? Without another mega, they couldn't hope to win against BlackWarGreymon.

"Isn't obvious?" Davis asked her. But he didn't wait for her to answer him. He raised his Digivice high in the air and said. "Golden Armor Energize!"

Veemon Golden Armor Digivolve to….Magnamon!

Veemon had become Magnamon, his Gold Armor form. Magnamon stood at 8 feet tall with a lean but strong build. His body was covered with golden armor which included a helmet, shoulder pads, arm bracers, a loin guard, a chest plate, shin guards, and boots.

He wasn't as tall as BlackWarGreymon, reaching only to his chest with they stood face to face. They stared off at one another, each analyzing the other.

"Hurry up and go while we keep him busy." Davis said to T.K. and Kari.

"We can't leave…not without you." Kari said.

"Don't you get it? I'm doing this to save you…all of you. I'm the leader and you guys are my teammates and my friends." Davis said, turning to talk to her. "What kind of leader would I be if I let you guys get killed?"

"But-" Kari began but was cut off by Davis.

"No buts, if Tai were here, he'd say the same thing. T.K., please get her out of here." Davis said to the blonde.

"Come on Kari, Yolei is almost here." T.K. said as he extended his hand to her.

But Kari didn't accept it. She stood up on her own and she stubbornly walked over to Davis. For a moment she just stared in this eyes but then to their surprise, she slapped him.

"How can you say that? Knowing that if you stay you could die?" Kari asked him, tears swelling in her eyes. "How can you ask us to leave you? We're your friends, Davis, your friends! Friends always stick together no matter what!"

"Ken…you know what to do." Davis said as he turned his back to Kari.

Together, Ken and Yolei dragged Kari away as she shouted Davis's name. It was a hard sight for all of them, especially Davis since Kari was crying for him and he couldn't do a thing to ease her pain. Once she was on Aquilamon, Yolei took off with Cody and their Digimon toward the forest where the portal was waiting for them.

This left Ken and T.K. with Davis. For a moment, none of them spoke as Davis watched as Magnamon began his battle with BlackWarGreymon. Then Davis turned around and spoke.

"Take good care of her, T.K.." Davis said, his eyes showing a reserved look. It was strange for them to see Davis like this, normally he was very open about his emotions. But now, now he had the look of a man who had accepted his fate.

"Davis?" T.K. didn't know what to say. Was Davis going to buy them time or die?

"I will hold him off for as long as I can. Once you and the others are safely in the real world, contact the others. Let them know what has happened here today." Davis continued his speech. "Tell Tai that he has to lead you once more."

"Davis…let me stay with you." Ken said but Davis smiled weakly as he shook his head.

"No, you just started to do good things with your life. I won't let you die as the Ken former Digimon Emperor. Continue to do good things, Ken, and never give up." Davis said. "Tell them all to never give up."

Neither T.K. or Ken knew what to say to Davis. His mind had been made up and his Digimon was the only one who could stand a chance against BlackWarGreymon. Even Paildramon couldn't harm him and Magnamon seemed to be holding his own for now. With a final nod, Ken and T.K. got on Stingmon and flew off toward the portal, hoping against hope that their friend would make it back okay.

Magnamon flew toward BlackWarGreymon with his fist cocked back. When he was close to him, Magnamon unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks that pushed BlackWarGreymon back. But it didn't last long as the mega level Digimon soon demonstrated by using his gauntlets to shield himself. Unable to attack, Magnamon flew backward but BlackWarGreymon chased him and kicked him in the chest. Then he followed up his attack with a slash to the chest. Magnamon grunt in pain but he didn't let that stop him. Landing on his feet, he leaped backwards and prepared to attack.

"Plasma Shot!" he aimed his hands at BlackWarGreymon and fired an energy ball made out of condensed plasma at him.

BlackWarGreymon blocked the attack with his gauntlets but his view of Magnamon was obscured as he defended himself. When he lowered his guard, he was surprised to find Magnamon in front of him, ready to fire at point blank.

"Plasma Shot!" he fired and shot him in the chest, sending the mega crashing into the ground.

"Way to go, Magnamon!" Davis cheered.

"Plasma Shot!" Magnamon shot several more shots at BlackWarGreymon, hoping to finish this once and for all.

When he stopped his attacks, the place where BlackWarGreymon had been was completely hidden by smoke. As Magnamon waited for the smoke to clear, he felt an incredible build up of negative energy coming from above. Looking up, he saw that BlackWarGreymon was floating high above him, wielding a large red ball of negative energy above his head. But he wasn't aiming at them, no, his target was a mile away.

"NO!" Davis shouted as he realized what BlackWarGreymon was aiming at.

Time seemed to move still for him as he tried in vain to run toward them. He could see Ken and Stingmon turning their heads to see what Davis's had shouted about. Several yards ahead of them, Yolei and Kari had also looked. Then to his horror, BlackWarGreymon had launched his Terra Destroyer at his friends.

Their eyes grew wide with fear as the giant ball of energy soared at them. They knew that nothing they had could stop it. But before it came close, a shining Digimon got between them and the attack, shouting as the unleashed the full power of miracles in order to defend them.

"Magna Blast!"

Unleashing his ultimate attack, Magnamon hoped to shield the DigiDestined from being destroyed. But the two opposing energies created a chain reaction that created an even greater explosion that consumed them all. When the blast subsided, the DigiDestined were all lying on the ground, all of them badly hurt but not wounded. Their Digimon had shielded them from the worst of it.

Davis lay several hundred feet from where he once stood, landing yards away from the DigiDestined. He was far enough from the explosion to still be able to get up but he wasn't sure that this friends would be able to stand. Looking around, he tried to locate Magnamon and BlackWarGreymon. The landscape had been completely destroyed, leaving nothing but a leveled barren patch of earth a mile wide.

From underneath the ground, BlackWarGreymon rose from the surface with a fierce battle cry. His roar was full of anger at being hurt by the blast that he had created. His eyes were no longer possessed by reason, no, his eyes had been taken over by bloodlust and rage, leaving him a monster hell bent on destruction.

Not to far from where T.K. and Ken lay, Magnamon rose from the ground similar to how BlackWarGreymon did but he wasn't as emotional. For one thing, he had used a large amount of energy to try and block the attack. His limbs felt like lead and he doubted very much that he could go another round with the likes of the now super pissed off BlackWarGreymon.

Unfortunately, he wasn't given much choice as BlackWarGreymon charged at him at full speed. Not wanting to get the children destroyed, Magnamon summoned what ever strength he had left and he flew high into the air, forcing BlackWarGreymon to fly after him. When he was high enough, Magnamon turned around and waited for BlackWarGreymon to near. Then he dodged the furious Digimon's initial strike and kneed him in the gut. Then he proceeded to slam both of his fists into BlackWarGreymon's back and send him flying toward the ground.

While Magnamon was fighting, Davis ran over to the others and tried to wake them up. They were so close to escaping, the portal was just outside of the blast radius. He could see it in the distance.

"Ken, wake up. Come on, buddy you have to wake up." Davis said as he shook him.

"D-Davis? Is that you?" Ken asked as he came to.

"Yea its me! Come on, Ken, you have to take everyone back into the real world. I don't know how much longer Magnamon and I can hold out." Davis told him.

"Alright Davis, I'll do my best." Ken said, now fully awake.

One by one, Davis and Ken woke the others up and they escorted them to the TV which held the portal between the Digital World and the real world. Davis was trying anxiously to get them all across before BlackWarGreymon could get to them. Magnamon was running low on energy and he was being thrown around by BlackWarGreymon. Davis was trying his best to send his energy to Magnamon but so far it looked like it wasn't working.

Yolie was the first to reach the portal and the first to leave.

Magnamon had been slammed into the ground and was being dragged thru the ground by BlackWarGreymon. Unfortunately they were heading toward the DigiDestined.

Cody picked up Armadillomon and together they followed Yolei through the portal.

BlackWarGreymon picked Magnamon up from the ground and held him up with his claws. He was hungry for blood and nothing was going to deny him his fill.

T.K. was next and he quickly left through the portal.

With a crazed laugh, BlackWarGreymon retracted his left arm back, his claws aimed for Magnamon's chest.

Ken grabbed Wormmon and together they followed T.K. through the portal.

The sound of metal slicing through metal and flesh rang like a bell as Davis, Kari, and Gatomon watched as BlackWarGreymon's claws pierced through Magnamon's chest plate.

Davis clutched his chest as he felt Magnamon's pain. Grunting in pain, he pushed Kari toward the portal but she wouldn't go through.

"What are you waiting for?" he shouted at her. He was breathing hard now and his vision was beginning to blur.

"Not without you!" Kari said as she tried to walked toward him.

"Kari's right, we can't leave you and Veemon alone." Gatomon said.

BlackWarGreymon laughed once more as he slowly pulled out his claws from Magnamon's chest, making the wounding Digimon scream in pain. With a crazed grin, he licked the blood from his claws as he stared into Davis's eyes.

"GO NOW!" he shouted as he pushed her into the ground.

The next thing Kari knew, she felt a warm liquid spray all over her face from above as she fell to the ground. Trembling, she looked up to see Davis staring down at her with a pained expression.

Coughing, Davis called her name. "K-Kari…r-run…" he breathed out.

"Nonononononononononono…" Kari couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Davis was standing over her with three black claws sticking out of his chest. His blood was all over her front and Davis was telling her to leave. She couldn't move, her whole body froze. Seeing her friend like this broke something inside her.

Gatomon tried to pull her away but Kari wouldn't budge. She froze, the sight before her burning itself into her mind.

BlackWarGreymon raised his arm high into the air, making Davis scream in pain as he rose. Oh what joy it brought him to hear his enemies cry out in pain. Nothing would deter his fun, nothing.

With a final satisfying look, he swung his arm to the right and flung the boy's body into the distance, making him roll as he hit the ground. Turning to the girl, he saw the Gatomon attempt to shield her. But no matter, he would end their life soon enough.

"Magna Destroyer!"

"What?" turning around, BlackWarGreymon saw Magnamon appear behind him.

Without having time to react, Magnamon wrapped his arms around his waist and flew high into the sky. Once the were high enough, Magnamon unleashed his remaining life energy into a large golden explosion that rocked the very core of the Digital World.

The intensity of the blast forced Arukenimon and Mummymon, both of them watching from a safe distance, to run away lest they be destroyed as well. When it was over, Kari opened her eyes to see that no one was left standing.

Taking a shaky breath, she struggled to stand and walked over to where Davis lay. Gatomon didn't follow her. She could tell that this was Kari's moment and she wouldn't interrupt. besides, she had just lost her friend, Veemon, in that explosion and she too would need a moment. Stupid dust, it kept getting in her eyes.

It didn't take long for Kari to reach Davis's side. He looked broken but at the same time peaceful. His eyes were closed and he was lying on his back with his arms lying next to him. His legs were just a few feet apart from each other. If one were to look at him, they'd think he was sleeping. But Kari knew better, especially because of the pool of blood Davis lay in. his blood stained shirt was also a dead give away.

She dropped down to her knees, her hands trembling as she reached for his head. As gently as she could, she lay his head on her lap. He looked so peaceful now. She almost smiled. But that thought died once she realized what she was about to do.

"Davis?" she called his name. but he didn't respond.

"Davis? Can you hear me?" she tried again.

But Davis didn't respond. His body lay still as the ground beneath them.

"Please Davis, wake up…wake up." tears were forming now, her eyes watery.

"Come on Davis, this isn't funny." she could feel his warmth fading now, his skin becoming cold.

"Please wake up…don't be so mean…" his chest didn't rise and fall like it should of.

"Davis…wake up…wake up…don't you see how much I care about you?" a single tear fell from her eyes and it landed on his face. The tear pool in his right eye and it fell down to the corner of his eye and down his cheek, giving him the impression of having shed a tear.

"You can't die…not yet…please don't go…" she was breaking down now, her heart not being able to last any longer.

"Davis…don't go…don't leave me…" she was crying now, her emotional barrier completely destroyed.

"Don't go…please don't leave…wake up…wake up…" her voice was growing faint now as her sobs drowned her out.

Soon she couldn't speak, not a word. His warmth had left him completely now, leaving him like ice. The ghost of his last smile still etched on his face. To Kari, it looked as though he was happy. Happy that he had protected his friends.

Time seemed meaningless as she cried, seconds seemed to last for an eternity. She barely registered as the others arrived to help her. She barely registered when her brother, Tai, arrived to bring her home. She barely registered as the rest of the DigiDestined, both old and new, shed tears for the passing of their friend. All she could focus on was the body of her fallen friend, her fallen hero.

The End.

Well what did you think? I hope that this touched you in some way, I know I felt something. To many a time we see heroes fall in battle, some die valiantly while others simple fall before their time. Did Davis and Veemon die before their time?

Being the leader, its his responsibility to ensure their safety at all costs…

Davis served his role and proved to be a great leader, even to the end. He didn't cry, he didn't cower, he had no regrets. He simply smiled.

Like I said before, I wrote this as a one shot story, I'm not really planning on making a series out of this. But who knows? Maybe I'll change my mind and write some more for this.

I don't hate Davis, in fact he is one of my all time favorites. But as I watched season two again, I realized that BlackWarGreymon should have destroyed them. There was no way that they could've survived his attacks and it seemed like dumb luck that they survived.

The reason I wrote this is because I got to thinking, what would've happened if BlackWarGreymon turned out evil and they had to fight him at full power? I got to thinking about battle strategies and possible outcomes but without being able to go to mega, Magnamon seemed like the only way that they could survive. I'm surprised that they didn't call upon his power to fight him since Magnamon is said to be able to rival a mega.

Well I hope you enjoyed this and I'd appreciate any feedback that you might have. I hope that you all look at Davis in a new light because there are far too many stories out there that just bash on Davis too much and make him seem like a complete jerk. And the reality is that he's not, he's a good guy just like Tai. Why people can't see that, I don't know. So please don't rip on him. Well till next time.

R&R.