A/N: here's the third chapter of the united world arc. It took me quite a long time to finish this though because of my busy schedule.

Correction from the last chapter: Actually Salamon's Japanese name is Plotmon, but I think Salamon is the better one. The same is applied to Kerpymon, Cherubimon's Japanese name, as I prefer Cherubimon (because it is closer to its root word, Cherubim).

Because I am not a native speaker, this story may contain some grammar mistakes. I have already tried my best to check it, so please forgive me if there are still some mistakes. Also, due to the high numbers of characters used here, some may get a lot of dialogues while the others may have only a few. I have tried my best to balance them, but you know, it's quite difficult to do so.

Disclaimer: Digimon is the properties of Toei Animation. I don't own anything at all. Also, this story may contain some elements from Tales series, Golden Sun series, and Persona series (although still not enough to be regarded as crossover). All of them are owned by their respective owners.

Lastly, if you have time, please tell me how you feel about this story via reviews. Any kind of reviews are welcomed, including the criticisms. After all, I am still learning.


Chapter 3 –The Chosen's Resolves

Desert Oasis…

In the middle of the oasis, a column of light appeared. When the light dissipated, the Chosen Children and their partners appeared.

"Whew, I can't believe we can make it in one piece!" Taichi sighed as he laid his body down in exhaustion.

"Yeah, Patamon really saved our necks there…," Jyou wiped sweats from his face, "Hadn't he evolved, we would have done for sure!"

"For now, let's just rest and tend our partners' wounds," Yamato suggested, "Then we will plan our next movement!"

"Yes, that would be the best!" Koushirou nodded.


"There you are," Jyou remarked as he finished putting bandage on Coronamon, "He should be okay now."

"Thank you," Lunamon bowed, "We really owe you a lot!"

"Heheh, think nothing about it," Jyou smiled, "We are friends, aren't we? It's just natural that friends help each other."

Lunamon flinched. This was the first time that someone regarded her and Coronamon as friends. She couldn't help but shed tears in happiness.

"Huh, did I say something wrong?" Jyou asked confusedly seeing Lunamon was crying.

"No, I am just happy that you guys regard us as friends," Lunamon smiled.

"Well, well, Jyou, it's not nice to make a young lady crying, you know?" Gomamon appeared from behind and began to tease him, "Don't you know how to treat a lady properly?"

"Wha-, come back here, you-," Jyou responded as Gomamon began to run, and those two ended chasing each other, which made Lunamon sweatdropped.

"Those two always act that way, for your information," Gabumon remarked, "So it's quite normal."

"Yes, Gomamon is our joker of the deck," Agumon added, "Without him, I think our journey will be very boring."

"Agumon, how do you feel?" Gabumon asked, "I was afraid that we were too late to rescue you."

"I am okay, thanks to you," the orange dinosaur Digimon smiled, "By the way, how can Coronamon become badly injured like that?" he proceeded to ask Lunamon.

"I don't know how to describe it, actually," Lunamon shook her head, "In our way to the prison cells, we were ambushed by a bunch of Devidramon. My brother decided to hold them while the rest of us rescued Gabumon and Piyomon."

"Wow, he is sure brave," Agumon stated.

"And reckless, just like you and Taichi did when you two faced Piemon back there," Gabumon commented.

"Hey!" Agumon shouted.

"Yeah, I've got to admit that my brother often acts recklessly like that," Lunamon muttered, "Once he has an idea in his head, no one can stop him. Anyway, I need to look after him, so please excuse me."

"…Similar," Gabumon muttered as Lunamon left them.

"What do you mean by similar?" Agumon asked.

"Coronamon and V-mon, don't you think they have a lot of similarity?" Gabumon asked, "They are both hotheaded and reckless, and yet they willingly sacrifice themselves for the sake of the others."

"So you have heard huh?" Agumon remarked, "About how V-mon sacrificed himself to save us?"

"Yes, Yamato told me about that," Gabumon smiled bitterly, "And to think that a happy-go-lucky Digimon like him has been turned into a monster like that."

"We will free him for sure!" Agumon clenched his fists, "Just like you guys freed me from the Digimon Kaiser back there, I'm sure that we can do the same for him!"


"Ugh…," Coronamon groaned as he regained consciousness, "…Where am I?"

"Brother!" he heard his sister's voice, "Thank goodness!"

"…Lunamon?" Coronamon asked, "Where are we?"

"In desert oasis," Lunamon replied, "We have successfully rescued Gabumon and Piyomon. In addition, we have successfully defeated the Reaper without any casualty."

"What!?" Coronamon flinched, "The Reaper was defeated? By whom?"

"That would be him," Lunamon pointed at Patamon.

"…Actually, it's not just me," Patamon came closer as he heard his name was mentioned, "The Eternal Orb gave me its power, so I could evolve to Seraphimon."

"But you did it!" Lunamon remarked, "You cast Judgment like you have known it for ages!"

"Judgment?" Coronamon asked, "That legendary angel skill?"

"Yes, the very one," Lunamon nodded.

"So that was the angel skill that Zenmaru passed to me, huh?" Patamon asked.

"Yeah, that angel skill is really strong. But still, I can't believe that you can actually defeat the Reaper by using that angel skill. That skill is not even a Divine Skill!" Coronamon commented, "Ugh, damn injuries, I still can't move!"

"Of course you are!" Lunamon snapped, "You were almost killed back there! You don't know how worried I was!"

"S-sorry, Sis…," Coronamon smirked in guilt, "I think I got carried over!"

"Now do what I say and rest!" Lunamon commanded, "I will try to contact our spies while you do it, and no buts!"

"Y-yes, Ma'am!" Coronamon gulped, and then Lunamon left them.

"Man, my sister can be very bossy sometimes," Coronamon complained.

"Heheh, that's because she cares about you," Patamon chuckled, "Still, seeing you are willingly to sacrifice yourself for the sake of the others reminds me of him."

"Who?" Coronamon asked curiously.

"V-mon, of course!" Patamon answered, "He is just like you, you know, reckless, but he always thinks of the others over himself."

"What!? How dare you compare me with that blue brat!" Coronamon's face immediately turned red, "I am not like him!"

"But that's what I think…," Patamon chuckled, "Now you rest yourself, otherwise, your sister will be very angry!"

"Wha-, get back here, you-!" Coronamon shouted as Patamon flew away.

'Heheh, now I know why he seems to despise V-mon,' Patamon thought, still chuckling, 'He resembles him too much.'

'However, V-mon is no longer with us here,' Patamon thought sadly, 'Still; I will do everything to free him from the Lord of Millennium's grasp!'


"So, what is our next plan?" Jyou asked.

"Now you mention it…," Koushirou remarked, "With no information of V-mon's whereabouts, we don't have any clue where we should go."

"Yes, according to Gabumon and Piyomon, the Lord of Millennium had made V-mon dark evolved into Doomdramon," Yamato added.

"Damn it! We have come this far, and now we are back to square one!" Taichi muttered.

"Not really," a voice echoed from their back. They immediately turned to see Lunamon. She seemed very serious.

"What do you mean?" Miyako asked.

"I have just received some news from our spy network that the Guardians have fallen, and the Lord of Millennium's army has taken control of Digital World," Lunamon explained.

"What!?" all of them exclaimed in unison.

"Yes, it seems that from the beginning, the Lord of Millennium's targets are the Guardians," Lunamon continued, "Our spies also reported that the unknown dragon Digimon accompanying him killed them all."

"So you mean…," Iori gasped.

"Yeah, it could be Doomdramon," Lunamon nodded, "However, his whereabouts is unknown after they destroyed XuanWumon."

"S-so, you are saying that V-mon did it all?" Daisuke demanded.

"Because he is under the Lord of Millennium's control, I can't say whether he did it by his own free will or not, I'm afraid," Lunamon shook her head, "The only sure thing now is the Digital World has fallen into chaos, and with the absence of the Guardians to maintain the balance of the Digital World, it's only a matter of time before it falls into ruins," she added.

"So, what should we do?" Taichi asked frustratingly.

"I'm not sure, but as Origin's request, restoring the Great Sol Tree might save this world," Lunamon suggested, "According to the old legend, the Great Sol Tree has existed even before the Guardians were born, so by restoring it, maybe we can restore the world's balance."

"But how?" Yamato demanded.

"About that, I'm afraid that I don't have any clue," Lunamon shook her head, "I will ask our spies to gather some information about it. Now if you excuse me, I need to speak to our spies," she bowed a little, and then she left.

"Then, what should we do now?" Mimi asked, "I'm getting sick of this!"

"Guess we need to do the same as we did five years ago," Taichi smiled bitterly, "We need to free all the four hemispheres from the Lord of Millennium's grasp!"

"Yes, we need to do that!" Takeru nodded, "After all, the Digital World's future depends on us now!"

"We can do it!" Hikari followed, "No, we have to do it!"

"For the sake of this world!" Sora added.

"To do it, we need to prepare ourselves!" Yamato remarked, "I suggest we spend a night here to rest!"

"I agree, Yamato-san," Ken nodded, "Our partners have not recovered yet."

"OK then, let's plan our next move while our partners rest!" Taichi shouted.


Desert Oasis, Nighttime…

"Salamon, you haven't slept yet?" Patamon asked seeing the small dog Digimon was watching the night sky.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep," she replied, "So the Lord of Millennium has successfully controlled V-mon…"

"Yeah, according to Gabumon and Piyomon, he made V-mon dark evolved," Patamon remarked sadly.

"I can't believe it," Salamon shook her head, "He made our friend into a monster like that."

"I won't give up!" Patamon gritted his teeth, "I will return him to normal, no, together, we will bring him back to normal, without fail!"

"You are really kind, Patamon," Salamon smiled, "You always think everyone above yourself."

Patamon blushed as Salamon said that. He rarely saw Tailmon in this form, and now he realized that she smiled as sweet as Tailmon.

"I-I don't think I am that kind," Patamon stuttered, "V-mon is our friend, so I can't stand still when someone uses him like this!"

"But you are, Patamon," Salamon continued to smile, "Your kindness is the reason why I like you very much. This is for my little hero," she kissed him in the cheek. Patamon's face became completely red as the result.

"I don't know how to tell you, but right now, with you beside me, I feel very happy," Patamon smiled, and then he kissed her in the cheek. Together, they spent their precious moment.


Agumon…

"Agumon, what'cha doing? Can't sleep?" Gomamon asked.

"Yes, there are so many things happened in the last couple of days, and I can't stop thinking of them," Agumon replied.

"Huh, really?" the white seal Digimon tilted his head, "I never thought you are one of the sentimental type," he added jokingly.

"Ugh, thanks for that!" Agumon grunted in annoyance, while Gomamon laughed.

"But you are quite right," Gomamon remarked after he stopped laughing, "So many things happened in the last few days, and he is gone as well."

"You mean V-mon?" Agumon asked.

"Yes, especially because I can't tease him anymore," Gomamon replied jokingly, "But still, our team will not be the same without him," he quickly added seeing Agumon growled in annoyance.

"Yeah, usually, when we are feeling down, he is the one who cheers us," Agumon smiled weakly, "The problem is when we are finally facing him, can we really fight him? I know it can't be helped, but still…," he gritted his teeth.

"Yeah, it's always hard when you have to engage friend in the battle," Gomamon shook his head, remembering the time when WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon had to engage in battle, "However, to free him from the Lord of Millennium's control, we need to do it!"

"Ugh, we don't have any other choice," Agumon grunted, "Especially when I think about how Daisuke feels."

"…It's okay, you don't have to worry about me," Agumon turned to see Daisuke, "I have thought for a long time, and I have resolved that we have to do everything to free V-mon from the Lord of Millennium's control."

"But…," Agumon protested.

"Please don't hesitate to face him, Agumon!" Daisuke remarked, "I'm sure that's what V-mon wants us to do as well."

"…OK, I will try!" Agumon nodded, "I will tell everyone to do so! We have to bring him back with us!"

"Then, rest well, both of you, you will need it!" Daisuke smiled, and then he walked away.

"…It must be hard for him, huh?" Gomamon commented.

"Yeah, when I was under control of Digimon Kaiser, I think Taichi felt the same," Agumon remarked, "Daisuke is right! They could free me because they fought me without hesitation! We have to do it!" he shouted.

"Yes, that's the spirit, Agumon!" Gomamon cheered, "Now, let's rest!"


Wormmon…

"Wormmon, what's wrong? Can't sleep?" Ken asked his partner.

"Ken-chan…," Wormmon remarked, "I still can't believe V-mon is under control of the Lord of Millennium."

"Yeah, I can't believe it, too," Ken shook his head.

"Does that mean we have to face him?" Wormmon asked his partner.

"…Most likely, yes," Ken gritted his teeth, "Sooner or later we will run into him and fight him."

"I don't know if I can face him…," Wormmon's antennae dropped, "He is my best friend, and the last thing I ever want is to engage him in battle."

"We don't have any other choice…," Ken remarked gently, "But I think it is okay if you don't want to fight him. I won't force you to do so."

"Ken-chan…," Wormmon cried. Ken only smiled as he hugged his partner.

"It is okay, Wormmon," Ken whispered, "We will bring him back to normal."

"…Then, when the time comes, I, too, will face him!" Wormmon remarked as he wiped tears from his eyes, "As his best friend, I will do everything to bring him back!"

"Good, but don't push yourself too hard," Ken smiled.


Hawkmon and Armadimon…

"I can't believe that the Guardians have fallen…," Hawkmon shook his head.

"Yeah, and I thought they were invincible, dagyaa…," Armadimon stated weakly.

"And more importantly, sooner or later, we might face Doomdramon," Hawkmon added, "Damn it, can I do it?" he asked frustratingly.

"Yeah, facing our own friend is very difficult, dagyaa," Armadimon nodded, "I thought facing evil spiral MetalGreymon was bad enough, and now we have to face another one…"

"Hawkmon, you don't want to face Doomdramon, do you?" Hawkmon turned to see Miyako.

"I don't know," Hawkmon shook his head, "I know I need to fight him in order to bring him back, but still…"

"Yes, we might hurt him as well," Iori joined them.

"That's what we are afraid of, dagyaa…," Armadimon nodded.

"…We don't have any other choice, either," Iori remarked, "If we don't stop him, more Digimon will be hurt and died. We can't let that happen!"

"I know, Iori! I know!" Hawkmon shouted, "Still, V-mon is our friend, so…"

"It's because he is our friend that we have to bring him back!" Miyako reminded him, "So, for the sake of him, can you do it, Hawkmon?" she asked.

Hawkmon thought for awhile, and then he nodded, "You're right, Miyako, because we care of him, we need to bring him back to normal!"

"I agree, dagyaa!" Armadimon added, "We have to discard any hesitation and fight him with everything we have!"

"That's my partner!" Iori smiled, "Now, let's take a rest, shall we?"


Terriermon and Lopmon…

"It happens again…," Terriermon shook his head, "Just how many times we have to face our friend like this?"

"To think that V-mon actually fell into the Lord of Millennium's control, I still can't believe it…," Lopmon added.

"We need to fight him, just like when you are corrupted by virus…," Terriermon remarked weakly, "Can we do it?"

"We have to do it!" Tentomon remarked as he joined them, "It's the only way to free him from the Lord of Millennium's grasp!"

"I still don't know about it, but I will do it anyway!" Palmon joined, "We don't have any other choice!"

"But we might hurt him as well!" Terriermon protested, "Or even worse, kill him like when we purified Cherubimon!"

"That's the risk we have to face, and I am sure V-mon will understand as well," Tentomon remarked, "When we faced evil spiral MetalGreymon, at first, we also felt hesitated, but we learned that fighting with hesitation would never bring him back, so we were determined to free him, and we succeeded."

"…I guess you are right," Lopmon nodded, "We have to face him no matter what happen, and we will free him!"

"Lopmon!" Terriermon scolded his twin brother.

"I, too, will fight him without hesitation!" they turned to see Michael and Betamon joined them, "As his friends, it is our duty to bring him back to normal, even though it means we have to fight him!"

"It's the only way to free him, so please understand, Terriermon," Wallace joined them as well, "When we had to free Lopmon from the virus, I felt the same. I realized the risk, and yet I chose to do it anyway!"

"…Very well, I think I understand now," Terriermon smiled weakly, "I, too, will do everything to bring him back, because he is our friend!"


Gabumon and Piyomon…

"I can't believe that Doomdramon was strong enough to kill the Guardians," Piyomon shook his head.

"Yes, it's hard to believe that," Gabumon nodded, "And sooner or later, we have to fight him."

"We don't have any other choice, do we?" Piyomon asked, "I don't know if I can fight him."

"But we have to, Piyomon!" Gabumon emphasized, "Otherwise, the Digital World will be destroyed instead. It's just like when we have to free Agumon from Digimon Kaiser."

"Gabumon is right!" Yamato joined them, "We have to fight him without hesitation, otherwise, we can't free him!"

"Yes, I don't want that happen too, but we have to do it!" Sora joined as well, "We have to free him, because he is our friend!"

"Then I will fight too!" Piyomon nodded, "For the sake of him, and for the sake of our Digital World!"

"Good, then you two should take a rest!" Yamato remarked, "We need to prepare ourselves before we make our next movement!"


Koushirou…

"Koushirou-san, can I talk to you?" Lunamon asked.

"Yes, what do you want me to do?" Koushirou asked.

"Here!" the rabbit Digimon handed a memory stick, "This memory stick contains the data which our spies have been gathering so far. In addition, they can send you the updated information through this, so they don't need to see me anymore!"

"Wow, that's great!" Koushirou remarked, "Let me try it!"

As he logged in to his laptop, he inserted the memory stick, and just as Lunamon said, it immediately displayed a wide range of information, including the Millennium's army location.

"This is wonderful, but why did you hand this to me?" Koushirou asked.

"I thought this information would be more useful if I handed it to you," Lunamon stated, "Also, it would be dangerous if our spies kept seeing me or my brother just to deliver the information they have gathered, so we decided to collect our information into this memory stick, and if they find more information, they will send it directly to you!"

"Thanks, Lunamon, this will help us a lot!" Koushirou remarked in joy.

"No problem!" Lunamon smiled, "We will continue to assist you! After all, it is up to you guys to protect this world!" she bowed a little, and then she left.


Desert Oasis, Next Morning…

"Okay everyone, are you ready?" Taichi shouted.

"We are ready!" the Chosen Children and their partners replied in unison.

"Great, now where should we go first?" Taichi asked.

"According to the data Lunamon gave me last night, the Eastern Hemisphere, where our home is located, has the least Millennium army troops compared to the other hemispheres. We might as well start the liberation from there," Koushirou explained.

"I think Koushirou is right!" Yamato commented, "We don't know what have awaited us there, so the less the enemies' numbers, the better our chance to liberate it!"

"I also agree!" Iori added, "Let's start from where we begin!"

"Yes, we will liberate our homeland!" Agumon shouted.

"Great, then let's go!" Taichi shouted.

-End of Chapter 3-

Thank you for reading, and please review! :)