Hello, all. I have decided to make a few edits to this early portion of the chapter.

First, I don't own Digimon. If I did, Season 2 would have been such a bloody mess. Also, Millenniummon would have been the final boss. Hah.

Second, this story will be pretty dark, not gonna lie. Torture in the first chapter and it goes downhill from there!

"It hurts, doesn't it?"

"F-FUCK YOU!" *ZAP* "AAAGH! Make it stop, MAKE IT STOP!"

"You know how to make it stop, Daisuke."

"NOT THAT, ANYTHING BUT THAT!"

Daisuke clutched at his neck, screaming piercingly as agony lanced through his tortured body. Despite the numerous cuts, bruises, and other relatively minor injuries, nothing compared to the pain that Kaiser's latest creation was inflicting on its victim. He seized the object that tormented him so badly, straining to remove it, but the electric shocks only intensified as he pulled and yanked on it.

Daisuke closed his eyes together tightly as he could, convulsing wildly and trying desperately to pull the thing off before it killed him.

"KEN, PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!"

"Stop."

The Kaiser's voice did what none of Daisuke's struggles did, and the device ceased its torture. The pain lessened, and Daisuke's limp hands slipped from his throat to his sides. He gasped for breath on the cold, hard floor, tears of pain slipping from his eyes as he struggled to stay conscious.

The Digimon Kaiser stepped closer to his exhausted archenemy writhed on the floor of the dungeon, slowly taking out his whip as he did so. "I told you before, Daisuke. I am not Ken, I am the Digimon Kaiser." Ken's voice rose in volume, starting off dangerously calm, but rising as his temper grew and he advanced on his target.

"AND I WILL BE REFERRED TO AS SUCH!"

Ken lashed out, repeatedly striking his enemy with the whip. Daisuke curled up into a ball, covering his head and unable to defend himself with the device still planted on him. Ken's strikes tore gashes in Daisuke's vest and shirt before cutting into the vulnerable flesh underneath, leaving several welts and finally drawing blood.

Eventually, the Kaiser ceased his assault. Clearly enjoying his enemy's pain, the blue-haired boy knelt next to the red-haired Chosen Child as the latter uncurled himself enough to glare at him. Ken's arrogant smirk only widened as he saw his enemy's expression.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me this is all the pain you can withstand…"

"You bastard….let me go, or else when my friends get here…."

Ken leaned in closer to Daisuke's face, leering. "Your friends? You mean the ones that left you here to my…tender mercies?"

Daisuke's eyes widened slightly, and he looked away, unable to find a retort to that. Ken got up, leaving his defeated adversary in the dark room, but not before a final parting shot.

"Tell me, what hurts more, the collar, or knowing that you'll always be second best?"

Ken slammed the door just as Daisuke moved his tortured body enough to raise his head.

"They didn't abandon me….they were never with me to begin with…"

"DAMN THOSE CHILDREN! DAMN THEM ALL TO HELL!"

"Master, calm yourself… please…GAH!"

Ken raised his whip to strike Wormmon again. The green caterpillar-like Digimon cowered under the tyrant's gaze. "When I want you to say something, I'll ask for it. Now shut up and get out of MY SIGHT!"

Ken sent Wormmon scurrying from the room with another two strikes. Ken scowled in the green creature's direction for a few moments, and then turned his attention to this latest defeat. MetalGreymon's power had been overwhelming, and no Digimon could stand in his or the Kaiser's way…until Daisuke had a stroke of pure luck and gained a second digimental.

"How could I lose? My plan was flawless, until that red-haired idiot got lucky and ruined everything! Worst of all, he did it with friendship. Of all the things that idiot could have labeled that power, he calls it friendship." Ken spat the last word as if it were a curse.

He slammed his fist into the desktop, growling, "I can't believe this! None of my strongest Digimon could beat them! They're unstoppable!"

Ken sat down in his chair, and in several keystrokes swiftly called up a viewscreen, watching the children's past victories. From the battle with Monochromon to their most recent victory against Metalgreymon, Daisuke and the others had managed to carry the day. "Every time they fight, they manage to pull a victory out of their collective asses. This is preposterous….huh?"

Ken zoomed in on a recording, noticing something. Daisuke was an idiot, but Ken couldn't help but notice that the group seemed to have a lot of laughs at his expense, despite him ostensibly being the leader. "Interesting…"

Ken called up more recordings, a few with sound, picking up more information about his enemies as he watched. Daisuke clearly had an unrequited crush on the girl in pink, while she seemed unusually close to the blond boy with the hat. The short one was quiet, yet seemed to be one half of the brains in the small group. The purple haired girl was obviously intelligent, yet a bit too headstrong.

Despite their individual quirks, Ken's main focus was on their leader. The Kaiser realized that one way or another, the idiot was keeping their group together. Ken's only problem was how to break that bond.

The Kaiser paused then as inspiration struck him. "Wait….I could use this….."

He began to type, creating a new project, one that would guarantee success. This time the Chosen Children would fall…..for what is an army without a general to lead it, or a body without a brain to direct it?

"With a few modifications…yes, this will work nicely…"

Ken smirked, chuckled, and burst into insane laughter as he began his new plan. His newest creation hovered for a moment, then sped off after its chosen target. The Kaiser smirked as his newest plan began to unfold…

Daisuke snored uproariously as he slept that night, worn out from his battle with MetalGreymon. An even more exhausted Chibimon snuggled up close to him, curled up next to his partner in a position that could only be described as cute.

The peaceful scene was ruined as Daisuke's computer began to glow. An Evil Ring, colored silver, emerged from the screen and hovered overhead for a few moments, before zeroing in on its target and attaching itself silently, then disappearing. Daisuke shuddered briefly, his face going from peaceful to pained in less than a few seconds…

"No, guys, wait….please…"

In his dream…

Daisuke smiled happily, his dream peaceful and joyful. After all, he finally had Hikari for his own! The dream couple cuddled contentedly in a Jacuzzi, while a morose, defeated Takeru (in a butlers outfit) served them drinks. Chibimon and Tailmon lay on two beach chairs in the sun , sleeping peacefully near their partners.

The redhaired Chosen Child snuggled closer to his dream girl and sighed contentedly. "This is the life. No fighting, no Kaizer, just rest and relaxation at last-GACK!"

Daisuke's dream world suddenly took a sharp turn for the worse. As the sleeping boy felt something grab his throat and squeeze. The entire dreamworld shattered, Daisuke grabbed at his throat and felt something wrapped around his neck.

As the world came back into focus, Daisuke found himself in a dark cave, with his friends running away from him towards a pale, tiny light that could only be the exit

"Guys, wait! Don't leave me!"

Daisuke chased the other Chosen Children through the dark tunnel, frantically trying to catch up. He was hampered somewhat by the steadily increasing weight around his neck. It started off hardly noticeable, but after a indeterminable amount of time it had become nearly unbearable. The other children hardly spared their leader a second glance as he cried out to them. Daisuke chanced a glance behind himself, and immediately regretted it as he saw what was chasing him.

A gigatic version of the Digimon Kaiser loomed out of the shadows, arms raised as he closed in on Daisuke. The red-haired Chosen Child gasped in horror before turning back around and running with all his might. The

Hope welling within him, Daisuke put on a final burst of speed as he got closer…but the weight around his neck chose that moment to finally increase itself to unbearable proportions. Daisuke stumbled, and the giant behind him seized the boy in one great hand in this one moment of weakness. Daisuke stretched out his one free hand towards the other children, begging, "GUYS! Help me!"

The others didn't even spare him a second glance as they disappeared into the light.

Miyako made it out of the tunnel first, followed by Iori. Takeru escaped next, and helped Hikari as she followed right behind the blonde. Daisuke slumped as this betrayal cut him to the quick, shock and horror stamped on his features as his friends abandoned him to his fate.

The Kaiser lifted Daisuke as the boy fruitlessly struggled to pull himself free of the giant hand. Ken's voice, magnified a hundred times greater than normal, boomed throughout the dream.

"How does it feel, knowing they would abandon you without a second thought? How does it feel, knowing in your heart that you're nothing to them?"

Daisuke glared at him defiantly. "Horseshit! We've fought alongside each other for weeks against you!"

Ken leered at him. "That doesn't mean they respect you. They ignore you, belittle you, treat you with no respect and yet you continue to call them friends. They'll betray you, you know."

Daisuke scowled…but doubt began to creep into his voice as he spoke next. "What are you talking about? They'd never do that to me…" Daisuke shook his head briefly, then snarled, "I know they wouldn't!"

"Are you so certain…? They hardly put up with you as it is!"

That last one struck a nerve; Daisuke pointed his free hand at the giant smirking face. "YOU'RE FULL OF IT!"

"Oh really?"

Daisuke looked confused for a moment…then saw visions of his teammates .

Iori and Miyako's faces came up first. "They both see you as a headstrong idiot."

"That's not true!"

Takeru came up next. "He never respected you, and he'll never call you a friend."

Daisuke clenched a fist and yelled at the giant. "That's a lie! Takeru's always been my friend!"

Ken smirked. "Oh, really? Then why wouldn't he and Hikari admit they're a couple?"

Daisuke blinked. "Hikari?"

Another image appeared, this time that picture of Hikari and Takeru holding hands and smiling, obviously happy together in New York.

"Yes…even you aren't stupid or blind enough to see they're far more interested in each other than you. Funny how such a girl you see as kind isn't even kind enough to admit she doesn't love you to your face..."

Daisuke looked away, struggling to find a response that rang true. He knew Ken was twisting things, but there was a grain of truth in what the Kaiser was saying…was he right? No, it couldn't be!

"….Sh-shut up!"

Ken held Daisuke up to his billboard sized face. "The truth hurts, doesn't it? You're no leader, only a stupid boy who got lucky a few times. Your victories were hollow, and your teammates only put up with you because they need your power. They hardly respect or even like you, and when they finally abandon you…well, you see where you are now."

"Shut up!"

Ken's laughter echoed throughout the dreamworld as Daisuke screamed at him.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Daisuke threw a punch at the Kaiser's giant face…

…only for his fist to hit the wall of his room rather painfully.

"OW!"

Daisuke sat up in bed, wincing as he cradled his aching hand.

"How in the…oh man, that was a weird dream."

Chibimon stirred, and yawned. "Daisuke…what's wrong?"

Daisuke smiled and idly petted Chibimon's head. "Nothing, buddy. Go back to sleep."

Chibimon curled back up next to his partner and did just that. Daisuke did so as well, but with a little difficulty. The nightmare was fresh in his mind, and his neck had a peculiar numb sensation just below his Adam's apple.

"It's gonna be a long night…"

Meanwhile, in the digital world, Ken watched his enemy sleep restlessly, smirking as he hit another few keystrokes.

"My, I wonder what he's dreaming about?"

The Kaiser couldn't help but cackle. This latest scheme was his most ingenious plot yet, and for once everything was going right. This plan was slow, but the Kaiser was willing to be patient. The best things

"Now to implement phase 2…!"

An exhausted Daisuke trudged to school, yawning and trying with all his might to stay awake.

After that giant Kaiser nightmare, Daisuke was tormented by other bad dreams, and they had gotten progressively worse over the last few days. Daisuke tried to sleep at night, but his efforts were futile. His dreams were filled with horrors, all featuring the Kaiser. Daisuke barely remembered half of the details of the dreams themselves anymore, but he still couldn't get any rest.

Chibimon chanced a look upwards when no other humans were around. "Daisuke, are you alright? You don't look so good…"

Daisuke looked down at his partner Digimon and managed a tired smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just haven't been getting much sleep lately…." The last bit of his sentence trailed off as he closed his eyes and opened his mouth in a cavernous yawn.

A different, familiar voice spoke almost directly into his ear. "I wonder why…"

Daisuke's eyes shot open and he whirled around to find the speaker. "KEN!"

Chibimon looked around, pulling himself up out of Daisuke's grip for a better view, confused. "What? I don't see anyone…"

Daisuke blinked and rubbed his eyes with his free hand as he too scanned the empty street. "That's weird, I know I heard his voice…"

Ken's voice spoke again. "What's wrong, didn't sleep well?"

Daisuke swiftly scanned the area, and this time he saw the Kaiser standing directly in front of him.

Daisuke couldn't believe his eyes. "What are you doing here!"

Ken spread his arms, smirking. "What, I can't visit an acquaintance every now and then?"

"NO!"

Ken's voice dripped with so much irony it was almost palpable. "Why so upset? I haven't even touched you today. What did I do to deserve such anger?"

"…Do I really need to answer that?"

Chibimon tugged at Daisuke's shirt, trying to get his attention. "Daisuke, you're scaring me. Who are you talking to?"

Daisuke looked down. "Chibimon, he's right in front of us!"

"Who is?"

Daisuke impatiently pointed to the source of his ire. "THE KAISER!"

"Where?"

Daisuke looked up, and, indeed, Ken was nowhere to be found.

"What the hell…?"

"DAMMIT, LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Daisuke's already shitty day went from bad to worse as time wore on. The lack of sleep, coupled with the usual boredom that came with everyday schoolwork, made it difficult to stay awake. Within two periods the red-haired Chosen Child had a detention scheduled for the next day, but that was the least of his problems.

The Kaiser-apparition had reappeared after their exchange that morning, and what Daisuke assumed to be a temporary episode brought on by nightmares and lack of sleep proved to be far worse.

Ken was everywhere. From the moment Daisuke sat down in first period, the Kaiser had made a nuisance of himself. In first period, Daisuke saw the apparition about to strangle Hikari, and only by repeating to himself "It's not real, he's just a hallucination…" over and over again did the red-head make it through class without causing a scene.

Second period was worse, as the Kaiser lounged on the teacher's desk, enjoying his enemy's suffering. No one else notice Ken's presence but Daisuke, and what made the situation worse was the fact that Ken simply would not shut up.

"Daisuke," the Kaiser crooned, "they're gonna betray you…"

Daisuke rested his head in his hands and groaned, " Why won't this end…"

Unfortunately, he said this a bit too loudly, and the math teacher interpreted this as insolence. Five seconds later, Daisuke had a detention, and now the Kaiser was laughing uproariously while Daisuke burned with shame and helpless anger.

By lunch period, Daisuke neared his breaking point. Having never been any good at bottling up frustrations like this, and simultaneously knowing full well what would happen if he started shouting about a boy no one could see, Daisuke was desperate for this class to end.

Daisuke walked to the cafeteria, trying his damnedest to ignore the blue-haired bastard that had fallen into step beside him.

"I always did wonder something. How did you obtain that Digimental of Friendship, anyway?"

Daisuke set his jaw and continued on. "Not talking to you."

Ken's arrogant smirk only widened as he stared at Daisuke. "Ignoring me isn't going to make me go away, you know."

"Don't care."

"Neither will these one and three-word answers you seem determined to give me. I realize you're an imbecile, but even you have a better vocabulary than that."

"I'll give you a vocabulary, you-"

A hand fell on Daisuke's shoulder, interrupting his next insult. "Hey, Daisuke-"

The goggle-boy jumped almost a foot off the ground. "WAAGH!"

Miyako, surprised by Daisuke's reaction, held up his hands defensively. "Whoa, calm down, Daisuke!"

The redhead panted for a moment, then glared at her. "Don't sneak up on me like that! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Miyako placed her hands on her hips and glared back. "Well, excuse me for wondering why you're talking to thin air!"

Daisuke was about to retort until he realized what the bespectacled girl had said. "Wait, you were watching me?"

Miyako's expression softened. "I noticed earlier you looked really miserable. I was trying to get your attention earlier, but you kept staring at the teacher's desk like it was about to attack us. Plus you look like you haven't slept in forever."

Daisuke gulped. "Well…"

Miyako motioned for him to continue. "Well…?"

Daisuke tried to concentrate on the other boy, but was rather distracted by Ken. The Kaiser had now decided to start making various threatening gestures behind Miyako's back towards the girl, before deciding to pull out an axe. The color drained out of Daisuke's usually tan features as Ken raised the weapon and took aim behind the oblivious girl.

Daisuke seized his friend's hand and started dragging her towards the lunchroom, forcing Ken to miss. "Um, could we talk about this later?"

Miyako blinked in complete confusion as Daisuke half-led, half-dragged her into the cafeteria.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

Daisuke flashed him a quick, nervous smile. "S-Sure. Just…um, don't leave me alone right now."

Miyako stared at him for a moment, still puzzled as they walked in together.

By the end of the day, whispers had traveled throughout the entire school about Daisuke's odd behavior. Most of it was baseless rumor and outright lies, but a few students swore they saw him talking to thin air on more than one occasion.

The boy in question was little more than a nervous wreck at this point. The hallucinations (at least he hoped they were hallucinations) were growing far, far worse, and the lack of sleep wasn't helping.

Daisuke staggered upstairs, for once not looking forward to heading into the Digital World.

"It was bad enough dealing with a fake Kaiser. What am I going to do when the real one shows up…?"

"Who says I'm fake?"

Daisuke kept his gaze steadfastly forwards, refusing to pay any attention to the illusory Kaiser.

"I told you before that ignoring me won't make me go away."

"I don't care. You're a hallucination brought on by the fact that I keep having nightmares about the real Digimon Kaiser. "

"…I'm surprised an idiot like you can even pronounce hallucination correctly."

"Shut up. You're not real, and when I get to the Digital World I'm going to punch the real Kaiser in the face."

"Considering our last fight ended in a draw, I highly doubt that. Besides, you know your friends don't trust you anymore. Amazing what can happen in a few days."

Daisuke felt something suspiciously like fear gripping his heart, but pushed it aside.

"You're even crazier than I thought you were if you think they'd abandon me."

"Would you like to place a wager on that? They all think you're almost as crazy as me."

"LIAR!"

Ken smirked. "I'm not the one talking to empty space."

Daisuke refused to reply as he got closer to his destination. He walked to the door of the computer room, and evidently the others were having a heated argument. Koushirou was arguing with someone else about their next trip.

Koushirou's voice echoed out into the hallway, and with a pang Daisuke realized the subject in question was his own sanity. Ken broke out into gales of laughter, pointing at Daisuke and howling, "I told you so. I TOLD YOU SO!"

"No, he can't come this time. From what you've told me he's been hallucinating all day-"

Miyako interrupted him. "And if he doesn't come, then we'll be down our strongest fighter!"

Hikari piped up. "Well, why don't we wait then-"

Daisuke opened the door, and saw the all of the other Chosen Children: Takeru, Hikari, Iori and Miyako. Their respective partners all sat in a circle, listening in on the argument but unwilling to take sides.. Miyako and Takeru were arguing with Koushirou and Iori about something….something that sounded suspiciously like him.

Miyako glared at Koushirou and said fiercely, "I'm telling you, he's not well! We can't take him with us to the Digital World!"

Iori shot back, "He's the only one with two Digimentals right now, and V-mon's our strongest fighter! We can't go after Ken without them!"

Takeru interjected, "Yeah, and if we take him with us and he breaks down when we have to fight, what then?"

Koushirou was trying to calm everyone down, but was interrupted by Daisuke's voice as he stepped into the room.

Everyone stopped arguing as the subject of that conversation stepped into the computer room. An uncomfortable silence filled the room for a few moments. Despite noticing a smug-looking Ken leaning on the wall, Daisuke tried sounding nonchalant as he walked inside.

"…Um, hi guys. What's up?" Daisuke cursed his own voice for sounding so nervous.

Daisuke blinked. "What?"

Everyone else exchanged glances. Ken's smug grin only widened as he slid off the wall and calmly walked over to Hikari.

"Daisuke," Koushirou began, "The others told me you haven't been well at all today…."

Daisuke snorted. "Koushirou, I'm fine, really. I just didn't get any sleep last night."

The other redhead replied, "I disagree, Daisuke. Even if your sleeping habits were interrupted last night, you shouldn't be hallucinating today."

Daisuke scowled. "I'm fine, and I'm NOT seeing things."

"Is that why you've been jumpy and lethargic all day?" Hikari chimed in. "Daisuke, staying back for one day isn't going to hurt you."

Daisuke was about to argue further, but stopped paying attention, for more than one reason. Normally Daisuke would listen to what Koushirou or any of the other older Chosen had to say. Today, however, he was distracted by the fact that Ken was idly listening in on the group's conversation, and to add insult to injury had placed his arms around Hikari in a parody of a loving embrace. Fuming, but fairly certain that Ken wasn't actually present, Daisuke held his tongue, determined not to prove his friends right….

Right up until Ken grabbed Hikari's face, tilted her head slightly and gave her a loving kiss on the mouth.

"WHAT IN THE HELL? YOU DIRTY-"

The resulting rant got everyone's attention. Even the Digimon were staring at Daisuke like he had finally snapped.

Takeru watched Daisuke glare at a spot to a confused Hikari's right and yell at thin air. Iori learned a few new words that day, and detachedly wondered if he should ask his grandfather what half of them meant.

Iori was jolted out of his thoughts by Miyako asking, "Still think we should take him with us?"

Iori looked rather surprised, and not just because of Daisuke's vocabulary. "I didn't realize he was in such poor shape."

Koushirou left the sleep-deprived Daisuke to his ranting for the moment, and swiftly gave instructions to the others.

"Make this trip relatively quick. I think Ken had a hand in this, and he probably has a trap waiting for you once you get back."

Hikari paused, then replied, "Well, why not just stay here today? There's no sense in walking into an obvious trap…"

Koushirou sighed. "I wish you could. The problem is that Ken's stepped up his efforts and increased Evil Tower construction in the past few days. We need to slow him down, at least."

Iori looked at the others. "That's why I was so convinced we needed Daisuke, but he's practically crazy at this point."

Takeru looked back at the boy in question. Chibimon was trying to get Daisuke's attention, and Daisuke was saying something unprintable about Ken and his ancestry.

Miyako held up her D-3. "We could just head there while he and Chibimon are preoccupied…"

Koushirou nodded. "That might be best. Meanwhile I'll try to figure out what's wrong with him. Be careful, you guys."

Daisuke had just finished ranting at his illusory enemy when he noticed the Digital Gate opening. "Hey, wait, guys!"

The other children vanished into the Digital World, leaving Daisuke in the computer room with Koushirou. Ken found this hilarious.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA! What have I been telling you about those so-called friends of yours?"

"Shut up!"

"I told you they'd leave you without so much as a second glance!"

Daisuke looked at the screen with a hurt expression, almost believing Ken's lies. The Kaiser was wrong, he had to be….so why did they leave him in the dust?

Koushirou's voice jolted Daisuke out of his brief moment of sorrow. "Daisuke, can I talk to you?"

Daisuke grabbed Chibimon, pushing past as he ran towards the light. Koushirou tried to stop him, but he was a hair too slow. Daisuke raised his D-3 in an effort to reopen the portal.

"DIGIPORT OPEN!"

The portal opened, but something was wrong with it. Instead of the usual blue-tinged white light, the portal shined with an odd gray color. Koushirou placed a hand on Daisuke's shoulder, trying in vain to stop the other boy. "Daisuke, wait! You're in no shape to be going into the digital world!"

Daisuke shrugged him off, crying, "I have to! I'll never get any peace unless I go!"

Koushirou finally got a good look at Daisuke's face, and felt a brief stab of sympathy. Daisuke's usually bright, confident expression had been replaced by a haunted, tortured appearance that really didn't belong on a child that young. Daisuke stared back defiantly at Koushirou.

"Let me go, Koushirou…please."

Koushirou's indecision cost him. Without warning, Daisuke shoved him and quickly opened the portal into the Digital World.

"I'm sorry, Koushirou! I have to go!"

Daisuke and Chibimon promptly disappeared into the Digital World.

As the portal closed and the world refocused, Daisuke and the newly evolved V-mon sat up, disoriented.

V-mon looked distinctly uneasy about something. "Daisuke….something's not right here…"

Daisuke stared back at him. "What gave you that idea?"

"I think we're right outside the Kaiser's fortress."

Daisuke turned around and found the both of them surrounded by a horde of nasty looking DarkTyrannomon, all ringed. Daisuke paled visibly.

V-mon jumped in front of his partner. "Daisuke, quick, digivolve me into Fladramon!"

Daisuke was about to access the Digimental, but a familiar voice spoke.

"Stop."

Daisuke froze, unable to move his body from the neck down. He looked up to see V-mon staring at him confusedly.

"Daisuke, what's wrong?"

The redhead struggled, but his body was paralyzed. "I…I can't move!"

The Digimon Kaiser's voice spoke again. "Glad to know that feature works.

An Airdramon descended from the sky, with none other than Ken Ichijoji on its back. Wormmon scuttled about at his master's feet, a few paces behind. Ken smirked and advanced on Daisuke.

"KEN!"

"In the flesh, Daisuke."

Daisuke glared at him.

"So, Daisuke, how are you feeling?"

Daisuke blinked, and stared suspiciously at his mortal enemy. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean, have you been sleeping well?"

Daisuke refused to say anything, but the way his eyes flashed with rage spoke volumes.

Gloating inwardly, the blue-haired boy pressed further, "No odd dreams, no hallucinations, no-"

Daisuke finally snapped, wishing his body was free so he could punch the smug grin off of Ken's face.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME?"

The Kaiser smiled. "I gave you a gift. You're going to help me with a little experiment…"

"And if I refuse?"

Ken's smile vanished, and he snapped his fingers.

Daisuke promptly fell to the ground screaming as his body turned into one single neuron of blinding pain. The paralysis had faded, but Daisuke was too busy convulsing on the ground to even think of escaping. Tears of pain leaked from his eyes as he felt excruciating pain in every inch of his body. It was as if someone had set all of his nerve endings on fire while electrocuting the rest of his body, and it was pure hell.

V-mon gasped in horror and turned to shout at Ken. "STOP! PLEASE, DON'T HURT HIM!"

Ken leered at the writhing boy on the ground, enjoying this torment. "No. I want him to beg for it."

Daisuke continued writhing in pain until finally he screamed, "KEN! STOP, PLEASE!"

All he got for his trouble was a brief kick, before his endless pain doubled.

"I am the Digimon Kaiser, and will be referred to with respect. Say 'Please free me, Master!', and I might consider freeing you."

Daisuke shuddered, swallowing his pride, and shouted, "PLEASE FREE ME, MASTER!"

"Eh, close enough."

The agony faded. Daisuke panted, relief sweeping through his small frame as the pain abruptly stopped. However, he was now aware of an acute soreness in his neck, almost as if….

His hand shot up to his throat, where he felt an odd metallic ring around his neck.

"What is this…?"

"A collar. A new design I've been working on to control humans. Sadly it's just a prototype."

Daisuke sat up, wincing at a few lingering aches and pains. "A what?"

The Kaiser rubbed his temples. "Never mind."

Daisuke stood up and with difficulty, opened his D-Terminal. "V-mon, digivolve so we can get out of here!"

Ken smirked and said, mockingly, "Do you really want to go back to your friends?"

"Of course, why not?"

"I'll never understand why you put up with those fools."

"Daisuke was about to digivolve V-mon when he heard that last bit. "What did you say…?"

The Kaiser spoke. "That's right, go back to your so-called friends. Go back to the team that ignores you, Daisuke. Run back to the mentor that can't stand you. Run back to the Chosen Children and suffer. You'll never be a leader in their eyes."

Daisuke stopped short and turned hot, angry eyes on his enemy. "SHUT UP!"

"The truth hurts, doesn't it? That collar you wear has multiple functions, and I heard every word that your friends said. Your memories are laid bare before me."

Daisuke's blood froze in his veins. "…What?"

V-mon tugged on Daisuke's pants leg, trying to get his attention. "Daisuke, don't listen to him!"

The Kaiser continued, paralyzing Daisuke with a gesture. "You are not a leader, Daisuke. You are a child that managed to luck out. The older Chosen all do your work for you. The other goggle boy must be so disappointed in you."

Daisuke, unable to move, screamed back. "THAT'S A LIE!"

"Is it? You're ignored by the rest of your team, constantly put down, and they all think you're stupid. Meanwhile, all of the older chosen all lead better than you, especially the REAL leader."

Daisuke's eyes widened as he heard that.

"Do you really want to run back to a group of fighters that would abandon you without a second thought?"

V-mon tugged again. "Daisuke, he's twisting things! You can't trust him! You know better than that!"

Daisuke felt his head hang in shame. He knew Ken wasn't speaking the complete truth….but some of what he said was right. And boy, that knowledge hurt.

"Come along, Daisuke. We have work to do."

Daisuke looked up as his body started to move on its own, V-mon trailing after him. "What are you talking about?"

"You'll see…"

They disappeared into the fortress as the door slid shut with a resounding crash.