Standard Disclaimer: Do I really need to tell you this?

Author's Note: Gah. 15 days to update my last chapter? I must be getting lazy! Oh well. Meanwhile, I will start a little prologue section of commenting on reviews…starting this episode!

Anthony1: Don't think I didn't notice the quotations you put around 'mystery figures'. Don't leak the info, or else I'll…I'll…*thinks for a moment, then gets his phonebook* Hmm…Myotismon…Apocalymon…Milleniummon…Ganondorf…Kefka…Sephiroth…Ansem…well, you get the idea. :P

Begin!


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"This is TK. Yesterday I spent my first afternoon after school wondering about how we'll deal with the Digital World, school, and the Emperor all at the same time! When we went to the Digiworld the next day, Davis and Veemon were separated from us while Centarumon and Monzaemon ambushed us! Luckily, Kari and I found two more digieggs that helped Patamon and Gatomon become Pegasusmon and Nefertimon! Davis and Veemon managed to escape the Emperor, and we saved Centarumon and Monzaemon!"

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Episode 4: Introducing the Control Spires

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"……um…do you guys mind?"

Now, 60-89% (not an accurate figure) of you probably know what the previous phrase means. Fortunately, for the 11-40% (same deal) of you who don't know what it means, I'll explain it to you.

Davis was once again…on the bottom of the dog-pile.

As the rest of the Digidestined got of him, Davis looked at the clock situated above the door. "3:47. Not bad."

Yolei playfully stuck his tongue out, taking another chance to tease Davis. "Looks like you won't get in trouble this time!"

Davis gave Yolei a death glare and growled menacingly at her. "Put a sock in it!"

"You two sure do like to pick on each other."

All five children suddenly froze. Whoever just spoke…was not one of them. Had they just been caught? Did someone ELSE just witness their return from the Digiworld?

All five of them nervously turned around as the consequences of their sudden predicament swirled through their heads. What was going to happen?

When they fully turned around…they saw six faces they did not expect to see.

"WHAT?!?!"

The six faces were those of Digimon. Gatomon, Patamon, Koromon, and the three dedigivolved forms of Veemon, Hawkmon, and Armadillomon stood before them. Everyone gasped…then Davis blinked out of confusion. "Hey. Who are the four little guys?"

Veemon's dedigivolved form was much smaller – about a foot tall – but he bore many characteristics of his Rookie form. Gone were the horn, the yellow markings, claws, and nose (okay, so they're NOT so similar). The skin on his face and belly was still the same shade of white as before, but his mouth was now tinier. His arms were replaced by little blue 'stubs', which were basically arms without elbows. His feet didn't have any claws, and his ears were bent flaps of skin. "You silly! I'm DemiVeemon, the In-Training form of Veemon!" His red eyes gazed happily at the group.

Armadillomon's In-Training form was completely different. Gone were the legs, the shell, and the green eyes.  He was now basically a ball of thin, light-yellow fur. His ears spread out like fans, with three fur tips sticking out of each. His eyes were now like little black marbles…and he had an EXTREMELY cute smile. "I'm Upamon! And I used to be Armadillomon!"

Hawkmon's dedigivolved form had gone under a color-change to say the least. The red and white feathers of Hawkmon were now…pink. The little bird had no legs, but the wings were still there, albeit they were smaller. Everything about the Digimon was smaller, wings, body, eyes (which were still light-blue), and all. The headband was gone, but the red-colored, yellow-tipped feather remained. "The name's Poromon! I'm Hawkmon's In-Training form!"

And of course, there was Koromon. The 'pink soccer ball', as Tai so affectionately put it once. "And you know me as Koromon!"

Another thing that Davis, Yolei, and Cody noted about the Digimon's In-Training forms…their voices had become chibified. In other words…EXTREMELY cute.

TK, however, was a little more distressed with the situation. They couldn't have Digimon waltzing around in the Real World. The question, however, was why they followed them. "Mind telling us why you guys followed us?"

The look in Gatomon's eyes indicated her astonishment at the question. Her astonishment stemmed from the obviousness of her answer. "Isn't it obvious? We came here to escape from the Emperor."

Everyone nodded in agreement (while TK slapped himself in the forehead for missing the obvious). The Digimon had been chased by the Emperor for quite a while (the same couldn't be said for DemiVeemon, Upamon, and Poromon, but they too were chased by the Emperor for the previous part of the day), and it was very easy to see that they longed for some true rest for once.


Unfortunately, there was one problem.

"One question. How will we sneak them into our houses?"

Cody's question silenced them all. Parental and family matters would put a definite damper on their attempt to shelter their partners. To their surprise, Davis answered it with a simple action. He grabbed his backpack, unzipped the top, and showed the opening to DemiVeemon. "Go ahead! Hop in!"

DemiVeemon looked inside, then eagerly hopped in. Davis zipped it downward until only a two-inch-long hole (for air of course) remained. Davis grinned as he slipped the backpack over his shoulders. "Well, that solves that problem!"

Within moments, all of the Digimon were in their respective partner's backpacks (Gatomon was too large, but she was confident in her ability to follow Kari without being seen.). Kari looked casually at TK and asked, "So, you going to see Matt tonight?"

TK nodded. "Yeah. He sent me a backstage pass for tonight's concert in the auditorium."

Davis suddenly seemed to freeze at those words. Could it be? Was it possible that… "Um, TF…" Davis finally decided to ask, although he was a little scared of what the answer would possibly be. "By Matt, do you mean the Matt Ishida that's the lead vocalist and guitarist of the Teenage Wolves?"

TK stared at Davis oddly – considering he had gotten his name wrong AGAIN – before nodding. "Yeah, that's the same Matt that's my brother."

Davis froze. Not only was TK a former buddy of Kari and Tai…his big brother just happened to be the lead on Odaiba's biggest teen band! GAH!!! This can't be!!! Let us shake our heads in worry for the boy (and start planning a memorial for his sanity; he'll crack at this rate).

TK was a little put off by the expression of shock that appeared on Davis' face, but it disappeared in less than a moment. Shrugging it off, TK waved goodbye to everyone before leaving.

Kari pondered on how to get Gatomon out of the school. After all, there were still lots of students walking around the hallways. Suddenly, Gatomon answered the question for her.

By opening the window.

Gatomon turned around and said, "I'll follow you once you leave." With that said, Gatomon jumped out of the window, sprinted toward the nearest gutter pipe, and zipped up to the roof. Kari sighed; her partner was certainly not afraid to take risks.

Yolei and Cody waved goodbye to Davis and Kari before leaving (with Poromon and Upamon hidden in their backpacks), and Davis found himself alone with Kari.

Perfect!

But before he could extend his offer of walking Kari home…

His backpack rumbled as DemiVeemon stuck his head out. "It stinks in here! And your books are hurting my back!"

Davis mentally cursed. He'd have to give his partner some payback later on. "Well you'll have to deal with it! Until we get home, you're stuck in there!"

"Aw poopie!" DemiVeemon grimaced as he bravely went back inside the backpack. When Davis turned back around, Kari had already gone. Davis moped and muttered, "Nothing ever goes right for me…" Davis, his shoulders slouched, dragged his body out of the computer lab.

----

It was 5:05 PM.

Cody glared at the man opposite him, his face obscured by the plastic-mesh mask – otherwise known as the 'men' – that covered it. Cody gripped the tsuka of his shinai tightly as his opponent waited for him to move. Sweat soaked the chest area of Cody's white-and-gray bogu, his body beginning to ache after 30 minutes of continuous kendo practice. 

Finally, Cody launched his attack. He raised his shinai and swung downward at his opponent, who promptly evaded it by moving backwards. Cody quickly responded with a thrust toward the Do that protected his opponent's torso.

Unfortunately for Cody, his opponent parried the blow and moved to the side before doing a quick strike to Cody's unprotected hands. For this match, Cody and his opponent had agreed to not use their Kote – fencing gloves – in this match. This made both of their hands prime targets.

Cody should know. After all, he had tried to attack them repeatedly throughout the match.

His opponent had either dodged, parried, or blocked all attempts at doing so.

And now, his opponent struck his hand immediately, causing a shock to erupt through his hand. This caused him to drop his shinai to the floor. Cody gulped as it fell to the floor.

His opponent immediately shouted, "Hansoku-shinair hanashi!" A Hansoku in kendo was an illegal act…and dropping one's shinai (shinair hanashi) was one of them.

Cody's opponent pulled his men off…revealing the face of an elderly man. His face was tanned and wrinkled, and his eyes were narrow and seemed full of wisdom. A thin, wiry white mustache lined his nose, and he was…smiling.

His name was Daniel Hida. And he was Cody's grandfather…and kendo teacher.

The old man sternly, yet calmly said, "I asked for us to not use our Kote so that I could teach you a very important lesson. Since the hands were no longer protected, they were easy targets. However, it is very easy to predict your opponent if you know where they will strike. For example, out of all the times you attacked me, only three strikes did not go to my hands. Remember…if your opponent knows your attack plan, you can do nothing. Keep him guessing. Strike where he will least expect it."

Cody bowed to his grandfather, his body aching from the battle. He mentally scolded himself for not recognizing the reason behind the match. I should've known better. His eyes hardened a bit as he mentally chastised himself.

His grandfather noticed this. He gently put his wrinkled, yet toughened hand upon the boy's shoulder. "Do not scold yourself grandson. Being humbled and taught is all a part of learning and growing up. You should only scold yourself if you fail to learn the lessons you've been taught." 

Cody nodded, repeating his grandfather's words over and over inside his head until they were permanently etched into his memory. He always respected the words of his elders, and he always did his best to obey their orders, rules, and wishes.

Daniel Hida finally put away his shinai and slid open the wood-panel door, revealing the kitchen where Anna Hida was making dinner. "Daughter, how is dinner coming along?"

Even though Daniel was Cody's grandfather on his father's side, he still considered his son's wife his daughter. It was a term of endearment, and Anna enjoyed that.

She looked at Cody's sweaty face before another thought crossed her mind. "Oh, by the way Cody…when I went into your room earlier to dust, I found a strange yellow doll of yours. Where'd you get it?"

Cody answered without missing a beat. "It was a gift from Yolei. A gift of friendship."

Anna smiled as she went back to cooking ramen soup. "That's nice Cody."

Cody hated lying. Unfortunately, he was left with no choice. He was just glad that Upamon kept up his guise as a doll.

He just hoped it would last.

(Anyone else confused by my use of official kendo words? Go to www.rain.org/~galvan/glossary.txt and read the Kendo dictionary! :P )

----

Yolei sighed as she flopped onto her bed. Her body was tired from her previous adventure into the Digital World – so tired that she forgot one important thing.

"Hey! Let me out of here!"

Yolei blinked as her backpack rumbled. D'oh! How could I have forgotten about Poromon?! She unzipped her backpack and watched as Poromon flew out. He came to a stop atop Yolei's pillow, preening his wings with his beak. "About time! It was incredibly cramped in there!"

Yolei rubbed the back of her head nervously. In all her life, she never thought she would be scolded by a creature that looked like a pink bird. "Sorry about that. I sort of…forgot."

A vein bulged in the little bird's forehead. "YOU FORGOT?!"

Yolei gulped. She shakily put her hands up in defense. "D-don't be mad! Everyone makes mistakes!"

Poromon sighed as he folded his wings against his sides. "I suppose."

Yolei, however, was not content to leave it at that. She had to win the little Digimon back over…and she knew how. She ran out of the room in a flash.

Poromon looked confusingly at the door. "Hm?"

Yolei returned a few minutes later, holding a plastic packet in her hands. She hastily ripped it open and showed the contents to Poromon. "Two Twinkies. Want em'?"

Poromon's eyes glowed at the sight of the two sweets. "YAY!" Poromon flew into Yolei's hand and began wolfing down the Twinkies. Yolei giggled as Poromon ate. The way to a Digimon's heart is through its stomach!


----

"Um…why did you blindfold me Kari?"

Tai asked this question for a third time as Kari led him to her room. Kari had come home 15 minutes ago, and she had told Tai that she was preparing a surprise. Tai, being the inquisitive guy he was, continued to egg Kari on with his questions and begging.

Now, Kari had blindfolded her brother, and she was now leading him to the surprise that was in her room.

"Kari! When can I look?!"

Kari chuckled at her brother's begging. "You'll see." She opened her door and gently shoved him in. She closed the door behind him…and yanked the blindfold off.

Tai rubbed his eyes to clear his vision. When the blurriness finally faded…he gaped at what was on the bed.

"Surprise!"

That was what Koromon said before leaping onto Tai and knocking him to the floor. Kari giggled as she watched a creature no bigger than a soccer ball tackle her older brother (the soccer ball attacking the soccer player…how ironic.). "Hope you like it."

Tai stared at Koromon in shock. Then at Kari in shock. Koromon. Kari. Koromon. Kari. "Um…what's Koromon doing here?"

----

"This is your room?"

DemiVeemon looked at his partner's room in confusion. Dirty clothes of all kinds (save for bras, pantyhose, and other female apparel.) were littered across the floor. Several action figures of various kinds (Gundams, Dragonball, and insert-here-whatever-else-you-think-would-be-there.) were strewn across the room. A plethora of books were hastily (or lazily, if you prefer) piled into one corner of the room.

In other words, it was a mess.

Davis grinned as if he held some pride in the mess. "Yup! This is my room!"

DemiVeemon crawled out of Davis' backpack and sat on his partner's bed, looking at the mess in confusion. Davis couldn't help but notice the look. "Yeah, I know it's a bit messy, but I know where everything is." Davis calmly flopped down on his bed and pulled a CD player out from under a pile of clothes. He slipped the headphones onto his head and began humming a tune.

DemiVeemon, who had never seen a CD player before, tapped Davis on the side of the head. "What's that Davish?"

Davis groaned as he paused the song and replied to his inquisitive partner's question. "It's a CD player, and I'm currently listening to a song. It's called 'Otherworld'." Davis pressed the Play button again and to sing along…softly, however. "Go. Now. If you want it…an otherworld awaits you…"

DemiVeemon silently sat beside his partner as he sang the tune. Soon, he was singing along as well.

(Can anyone guess where the song they're singing comes from?)

----

"The path may be lost…"

Four high school boys were on the stage. All of them wore their standard high school uniforms. One played the drums. One played a conventional guitar. The last two played the electric guitar. The one playing the old-fashioned guitar happened to be the lead singer.

"The way is not known…"

The lead had golden-blonde hair, and its general spikiness indicated the use of hair gel…and lots of it. Sweat trickled down his neck as he continued playing and singing in front of the large crowd. The microphone amplified his rich voice so that all those inside the auditorium could hear him. The ones playing the electric guitar provided secondary voices for the song.

"But one thing's for sure…"

Speaking of the crowd, it consisted of a large number of high school students and some middle school students. Even a few elementary school children had turned up to see the band play. And the band's name was…

"I'LL FIND MY OWN WAY!!!"

The Teenage Wolves.

And the lead singer happened to be Matt Ishida.

The crowd went crazy as the song closed off on a high note. The Teenage Wolves bowed to the audience as the curtain closed, signaling the end of the afternoon concert. As Matt put his guitar into its case, he grinned at the sound of the applause.

After all, the Teenage Wolves were Odaiba's hottest teen band.

"I hear that you've become quite the teen sensation bro."

Matt's ears twitched as the familiar voice reached his ears. That voice…is it him? Matt turned around to see a familiar boy in a white hat. The look was familiar…but not quite the same. Is that him?! Man! He's grown!

TK smiled at Matt's shocked expression. "Nice to see you again big bro."

----

"So, you've become a teen sensation eh? You've done quite well for yourself."

TK conversed with Matt as they walked along the sidewalk, walking towards the apartment complex Matt and Hiroaki Ishida lived in. TK enjoyed spending some time with his brother…especially after seeing him for the first time in four years.

Matt grinned as he replied to his little brother. "Yup. I've gotten a lot of fans in the past couple of years. A lot of them…"

A thought popped into the younger Takaishi's head, and he quickly blurted out, "Do you have any," He paused to think of the right word. "Obsessive fans?"

Before the older Ishida could answer…

"Oh Maaaaaaatt!!!!"

Matt suddenly froze at the sound of the feminine voice that reached his ears. Sweat suddenly seemed to sprout from his forehead as he muttered, "Oh no…" Matt quickly grabbed TK by the wrist and ran around the corner before ducking into the closest diner. Before the admittedly confused TK could ask anything, Matt told him to be quiet and shoved his head down below the window.

A few moments later, a teenage girl with spiky dull-cherry hair stopped at the corner. She looked in several different directions before continuing on. Matt dared to peek over the window and sighed in relief. The two stepped out of the diner and gladly said, "That was close."

TK blinked in confusion as they continued walking along. "Who was she?"

Matt groaned as the thought of the girl came into his head again. "Oh, her name's Jun Motomiya. Probably my most obsessive fan in the city."

"Jun Motomiya…" TK pondered over the name for a moment before getting a connection. "Must be Davis' sister."

"Davis?" said Matt as TK made his connection. "You must mean Tai's friend. I've only met a few times, but he's basically a mini-Tai."

TK chuckled at Matt's comparison. That's when his backpack began to rumble. TK unzipped it and pulled out his partner, who was gagging for air. "Jeez TK! Do you have to keep me cramped in here?!"

"Sorry Patamon," apologized TK. "But I had no other way to get you out of the school."

"Uh…TK…?"

TK and Patamon turned their heads and looked at Matt, whose face was completely filled with shock, surprise, and absolute astonishment. "Please tell me that's an incredibly realistic doll…"

TK smiled as he gently cradled Patamon. "Nope. He's the real deal. I forgot to mention…the Digiports are open again."

Matt stared at TK in alarm. The Digital World was open again? "You're…you're joking!" TK shook his head. Matt just reflected over this while his face went from alarm, to shock, to a realization of joy. That means…Gabumon…


Matt suddenly smiled as he grabbed TK by the shoulders. "Next time you decide to go to the Digiworld…I'm going! I need to see Gabumon!"

TK chuckled as a bead of sweat went down his head. Looks like he still remembers. "There's a few little things you need to know first…"

Matt's face now was one of confusion. "Huh? Like what?"

As Matt's apartment came into view, TK started explaining to him about the Digimon Emperor and the new Digidestined…

----

Izzy yawned as he finished putting the final touches on his program. It had taken him over several hours, but he was finally on the verge of finishing it.

The program in question was a map of the Digital World.

"Hey!" yelled Izzy to no one in particular. "It's not just a map! It's a grid-by-grid field chart that allows us to choose a digiport from which to emerge from!"

(Uh…Izzy? Do you mind not breaking the fourth wall?)

"You mean talking out-of-context while still in-character?"

(Same thing! Now get back to the story!)

"Alright already!" grumbled Izzy as he turned back around to continue working on his laptop. I take offense at the insinuation that this is just a simple map.

(I heard that!)

Izzy decided to just keep quiet from there on out.

----

(NEXT DAY!)

DemiVeemon winced as he watched a soccer ball bean a young boy in the head, sending him into a daze. "Ow, that's gotta hurt."

"You said it!" chirped Poromon.

That morning, when Davis, Yolei, Cody, TK, and Kari had arrived at school, they were in a fix about what to do with their Digimon. Keeping them in their backpacks the whole day was out of the question; the little guys would suffocate and cause a commotion. It would be the same deal with putting them in their lockers. Besides, lock-pickers and locker thieves were common in the middle school (Yolei can testify to this.).

So they had decided to do something else.

Gatomon and Patamon had carried DemiVeemon and Upamon to the roof of the school, while Poromon simply flew up there. They spent the day up there, watching as the students of all three facilities used the fields. Sadly, Koromon had been forced to stay home (Tai was not willing to let Koromon use his hair as a hiding place.)When the fields were empty, they had been forced to converse and play games amongst themselves (Gatomon whipped all of them at 20 Questions, but was sadly lacking any kind of similar luck with Truth or Dare.).

Unfortunately for them, they had been unable to partake in lunch with their partners. Fortunately for them, Gatomon had managed to swipe some conveniently leftover snacks (she also noticed that Davis, Yolei, Cody, TK, and Kari left a note near the snack pile) for them to feed on.

Then, the clock had struck at 3.

A swarm of children, teenagers, and young adults had cascaded from the doors, coming onto the fields to do their after-school activities. Bands played their instruments, children traversed the playgrounds, and numerous members of all three facilities played on the large soccer field.

Now, it was nearly time for the Digidestined to get them (coming out of past perfect tense; buckle your seatbelts!).

"When are they going to come out?" asked Upamon, his curiosity about all of the activity getting to him.

Patamon leered over the edge of the roof to see the familiar white hat of his partner. "I see mine!" That's when everyone else came out. "And everyone else too!"

All five of the children stopped, seemingly waiting for something. Their backpacks were open, and only a couple of books were inside each. It seemed they were waiting to put in something larger…

When no one was in immediate view, TK gave a thumbs-up.

The five Digimon quickly jumped down, aiming for their respective partner's backpacks. Upamon landed softly in Cody's backpack. Poromon did it much the same way. Patamon used his wings to help direct himself into TK's pack. Gatomon, despite her larger size, was able to fit in Kari's backpack now that most of her books were out.

DemiVeemon and Davis were another story.

DemiVeemon mistimed his jump. As a result, he didn't land in Davis' backpack…

Instead, it was on his head.

Davis, who had prepared for a jolt to originate from his backpack, was caught completely off guard by the sudden movement that pushed him forward. As a result…he fell on his face.

"Ow."

DemiVeemon bashfully rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry Davish."

Davis grumbled as his partner jumped into his backpack. The boy dusted himself off as he forced himself to repress his impulse to shout in annoyance. Keep your cool…keep your cool. "Okay, so who got a message from Izzy?"

Everyone raised their hands.

TK immediately said, "Well, let's head to the computer lab and see what he wants to show us then."

Davis seethed as everyone followed TK inside. "No fair TC! I was gonna say that!"

His mispronunciation of TK's name only solicited a round of laughs and giggles from the others. Davis seethed as he quietly followed them inside the school building.

----

The Emperor was not pleased.

His amplifiers were in danger of being discovered.

In their three previous trips to the Digital World, the Digidestined had narrowly missed stumbling upon his amplifiers. Narrowly.

If things were going at this current rate, the Digidestined would be visiting the Digiworld once more on this Wednesday afternoon.


And he had an awful feeling in his gut about this afternoon.

He opened up a part of his gauntlet and issued a command to mobilize. He wanted to send a reinforcement regiment wherever the Digidestined popped up.

"Let's just hope my luck holds out."

----

"Matt? What are you doing here?"

The Ishida teenager chuckled at Kari's question. He stood beside Izzy as the Child of Knowledge worked on uploading the Digital Grid program to the computer he usually worked on in the lab.

He casually smirked and replied, "I heard form TK that the Digital World's open for travel again. So I decided to come along this time to see if I can find Gabumon." His cool demeanor couldn't hide the eagerness in his voice.

"So Izzy," asked Yolei as she watched the Digimon feed on some of her leftover brownies from Monday. "What'd you call us about?"

Izzy motioned for all of them to come over to the computer. As the others gathered around him, he pointed at a large grid that was displayed on the monitor. The grid of white squares was arranged like a rectangle, with 832 squares on it. The squares were arranged in a 32-by-26 fashion. However…some squares were colored black.

"This grid is a representation of all the land mass of the Digital World," explained Izzy. "Much like Earth, three-fourths of the Digital World is made up of water, so the grid only represents the land. There's roughly one Digiport for each sector, so you can easily choose where you want to go."

TK couldn't help but notice that a rather large portion of squares on the left side of the map was a night-black color. "Pardon me if I sound naïve, but how come some of the squares are black?"

"The reason is because dark energy is radiating from those sectors." Izzy tried to sound matter-of-factly about this, but he couldn't help but reveal the chill in his voice. "I assume it's because of the Emperor, but we need to find out what's causing the negative energy."

Davis pulled out his D-3 as a cocky smirk came to his face. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go then!"

Matt teasingly joked, "Hold on there cowboy. Let's choose a sector first."

"I suggest here." Izzy pointed to a black square that sat at least two sectors away from any other black square. "01-111-BETA. It's all alone and away from any other black square. Sound good?"

"Sounds good!" said everyone in unison. The Digimon hopped on the shoulders of their respective partners as Davis held his D-3 toward the computer. "Digiport open!"

With a flash of blue light, everyone sans Izzy was sucked into the Digital World.

----

Beep!

"Hmm?" The Emperor looked at the map, noticing that a Digiport had just been opened in 01-111-BETA. "So…they've finally come."

He spoke into his gauntlet's COM-link. "Reinforcement regiment #1 and #2! Advance to sector 01-111-BETA immediately!"

The Emperor cut the link and grinned. He prepared to open a Digiport to sector 01-111-BETA as a happy thought soared through his head.

The Digidestined were going to fall this time…he was sure of it.

----

"Davis! Get off!"

Davis was glad about one thing. For once, he had come out on top of the dog-pile.

However, that also meant he was on top of everyone else…and unlike the others, Matt Ishida was unaccustomed to being in such a disheveled jumble.

Davis quickly got off of the pile and readjusted his goggles. "So, anyone know where we are?" Davis looked down to see Veemon…

Wait. Veemon? "Hey! Weren't you DemiVeemon just a moment ago?"

Veemon stood up and grinned. "You see Davish, we Digimon are naturally stronger in the Digital World. That's why we digivolved instantly upon entering the digiport!" Davis noticed that Poromon and Upamon had become Hawkmon and Armadillomon as well…which meant Veemon was correct. "Neat-o!"

After everyone got to their feet and dusted themselves off, Cody took in his surroundings at a glance. They were at the base of a rather large plateau, made of yellow-colored rock. It was arranged in steps, and upon those steps were buildings carved out of the same rock the plateau was made of. A small forest surrounded the whole plateau, but that was not the most striking feature.

The feature that was most prominent…was a black obelisk that stood on the very top of the plateau. Gatomon suddenly gasped in shock at the sight of it. "Unreal…so they are real!"

Kari glanced at her partner with a measure of confusion in her eyes. "What do you mean by 'they are real'?"

Gatomon suddenly had trouble controlling the shivers going down her spine. "I've heard rumors…about obelisks as black as midnight dotting the areas controlled by the Emperor. They signify his power…and I don't know what else they do."

TK gasped as he made a connection. "That obelisk…it must be the object causing the negative energy Izzy was talking about!"

"Very perceptive!"

Everyone suddenly turned around to see the boy in the purple shades…the Digimon Emperor. "What's the matter? Surprised to see me?"

Gatomon hissed at the Emperor. Davis and Veemon growled, the memory of being held against their wills still fresh in their minds. Matt just chuckled. "So this is the Emperor? You're nothing but a big-mouth kid who's too big for his pants to fit!"

The Emperor chuckled good-naturedly at Matt's insult. It seemed as if he were expecting Ishida to respond that way. "Always so cool and calm Matt Ishida. However," He held up an arm and pointed behind them. "You might want to reconsider upon looking behind you."

Patamon laughed. "Ha! Like we'd fall for that one!"

TK and the others had already turned around…and were immediately regretting it. Takaishi nudged his partner and nervously choked out, "Um, Patamon…I don't think he's fooling us."

Patamon finally decided to turn around…and immediately saw what he was talking about. The red-eyed, blue-haired, yellow-bellied (literally) Veggiemon were situated behind them…and there 30 of them...all controlled by Dark Rings. However, the real danger was the two standing right behind the main body of Veggiemon.

The one on the left was the smaller of the two. Unlike the other Veggiemon, his body was red colored, and the ends of his whip-like arms were covered in bulging spikes. Also, his leaf-like hair was green. Also, a Dark Ring surrounded his gut. "The name's RedVeggiemon! I may look like a rotten vegetable, and I'm proud to say that I am one! My Stink Gas attack will leave you nauseous, and my Red Thorn shall knock you senseless!"

The one on the right was one the Digidestined were familiar with…especially Matt. The giant wolf of white fur and blue stripes. However…the normally red-orange eyes were entirely blood red. And…a Dark Ring encircled his furry neck. "I am Garurumon! My fangs are so sharp that I'll cut through you instantly! Beware of my Howling Blaster!"

Matt froze. He could just tell it was him. He didn't know how…he just knew. That Garurumon…was his dear friend and partner. "Ga…Garurumon…"

"Ah, reunited after so long." The Emperor mockingly said, his grin bigger than before. "But I'm afraid the reunion will have to be cut short. Seize them!" The Veggiemon swarmed them en masse, overwhelming them before they could even have their Digimon armor-digivolve. In less than a minute, the Digidestined were in chains, and the Digimon's arms (or wings, in Hawkmon's case) and legs were bound by ropes.

The Emperor chuckled as the Veggiemon led the Digidestined away with their Digimon. "Put them in the prison cells! Once I take care of the remaining Gazimon, I will join you. Garurumon. RedVeggiemon. Come!"

The Emperor jumped onto Garurumon and rode him further up the plateau, with RedVeggiemon hanging on to Garurumon's back. Matt seethed with anger as the Emperor rode off. How dare he ride him as if her were his own personal horse?!?!

Matt suddenly groaned as a Veggiemon prodded him forward toward the prison cells. Vengeance would come later.

----

"The Veggiemon are still the same…but Garurumon is something new entirely."

The figure nodded in response to (Agumon). The little Rookie's observation was indeed correct; after all, Garurumon had not been controlled by the Dark Ring last time around. "Indeed. We may have to give a little indirect help this time around."

He looked once more at the Digital grid on his computer (a program developed by Gennai, so it's far more advanced than Izzy's) and suddenly noticed six Champion Digimon in 01-101-BETA…and they were advancing towards 01-111-BETA. "Interesting…I'd better pull up a camera view."

He accessed one of the several cameras the Order had installed long ago in 01-101-BETA…and he was intrigued with the picture he was getting. Three Airdramon and three Tyrannomon were rushing southeast toward 01-111-BETA.

"Well that's new as well…the Emperor isn't taking many chances." The figure smirked as he glanced at (Agumon). "Ready to go?"

(Agumon) nodded. The male held out his orange D-3 and pointed it at the computer monitor. "Digiport open!" With a flash, the two were teleported to sector 01-101-BETA.

----

The Digidestined groaned as thick metal shackles were slapped onto their wrists and ankles. The Digimon were also thrown against the wall, groaning as they slid to the sandy floor. The Veggiemon closed the cell doors and shouted, "You stay put until the Emperor returns!" With that, the Veggiemon left the prison.

Yolei moaned as she struggled against her chains to no avail. "Let us out of here!"

Hawkmon shook his head in disagreement. "I don't think they'll be inclined to let us out Yolei."

Matt sighed as he leaned against the wall, reflecting over his partner's predicament. His old partner and friend had been brought under the control of the Emperor…a cocky, arrogant kid who he thought was too big for his britches. He was cocky, arrogant, and downright annoying…heck, he was almost as annoying as Jun Motomiya!

Wait…Motomiya. Matt glanced over at Davis, who was busy trying to rip his chains off (and not succeeding). Davis' last name was Motomiya…TK had told him that the previous day. If Davis was related to Jun… "Hey Davis."

Davis stopped his struggling momentarily to reply, "What?"

"You related to Jun?"


Davis growled in response to the mentioning of his sister's name. At the very moment, he was considering telling everyone about her 'bra-throw' if she blabbed to Matt Ishida of all people about his 'problems'. "Yeah, what about her?"

Matt mentally leapt for joy. Finally! A way to get her off my back! "If you don't mind Davis, is there any possible way for you to get her off my back? She's always hounding me, and I don't even want to know if she'll go farther in future concerts…so could you please tell her when we get back home to stop following me around?"

Davis couldn't agree. He just couldn't. Getting Jun to not follow Matt was like asking for FOX to make new episodes of Futurama…in other words, it was nigh impossible. "Sorry Matt. "Whatever my sister does is her own business. If she wants to act like a jerk and hound you all the time, that's her own business."

Matt didn't show it, but he winced. Boy, talk about an unforgiving response.

"Davis, that's harsh." Davis gulped as he looked at Kari's scowling expression, which caused him to figuratively wither away under its glare. "Even if she may get on your nerves, it's still not right for you to talk about her."

Davis froze and dejectedly slumped against the wall. His mind started to mentally pull of the petals of a flower. She loves me…she hates me…she loves me…she…HATES ME!!! Davis sighed as he silently moped.

"Dang…I didn't think people like you would actually be the Digidestined."

Everyone turned to a darkened corner of the cell to see a purple-gray rabbit with long ears sitting there, staring at them with curiosity and wary skepticism. However, this Gazimon had a long scar running down the left side of his face…and it looked fresh.

Yolei looked at the rabbit Digimon in confusion. "Uh, who are you?"

Armadillomon stated, "He's Gazimon, a rabbit-type critter of the Rookie level. He's a feisty kind of guy, and watch for his Electric Stun Blast attack!"

Gazimon scoffed. "A Unimon that passed through this town two days ago described the guy with the goggles…but he didn't mention a girl with an orange helmet or a little midget-boy!"

Cody tried his best to hide it, but Yolei could see that the little boy took insult at the Gazimon's remark. "Hey, watch your mouth! Don't be so cruel!"

Gazimon sighed as he leaned against the corner, his skeptical eyes suddenly showing a little remorse. "My apologies. My home's been under siege ever since that Unimon left town. A whole legion of Veggiemon came and scared away the tourists. However, we Gazimon wouldn't give up without a fight."

TK was wondering if the Unimon Gazimon was speaking of was the same Unimon he met on Monday as he asked, "What's been happening?"

"About a hundred Veggiemon came and besieged the town," said Gazimon as he remembered the battle's that had been taking place around the plateau. "There are only about 40 Gazimon here in this town, but we're tough." A sudden aura of anger flashed thorough the scarred Digimon's eyes. "We built this town a long time ago…and we aren't going to give it up to the Emperor."

Patamon replied, "Doesn't look like things are going too well for you though."

Gazimon sneered. "Much as I hate to admit it, you're right. We held our own against the Veggiemon, but then the Emperor came to town with that RedVeggiemon and Garurumon…those two completely tipped the tables against us. In only two days, over half of the Gazimon have been captured, and a Control Spire's been built to increase the enemies' power!" He feebly touched the scar on his face – it seemed to be not just a physical wound, but a blow to his fighter's pride as well.

"Control Spires?!" That was the cry that echoed through the cell. Gatomon remained silent as she continued trying to reach her feet. Control Spires…is that what they call those obelisks?

Gazimon nodded. "This town is quite a tourist attraction due to the view the plateau offers. Recently, we've gotten visitors describing dark towers known as Control Spires…they're the mark of the Emperor…and they apparently give Digimon that wear Dark Rings a little power boost."

Everyone nodded in response. Izzy was going to have a field day with all the new info they had gotten so far that day.

"Rrr…gah, grr…"

The sound of Gatomon grunting suddenly got their attention. They turned to see that the cat Digimon's feet were free…and she was desperately trying to bite off the ropes binding her wrists together. "Stupid things…if only I could get free!"

*Snikt*

Gatomon blinked as the ropes around her wrists fell to the ground. Gazimon – who was the closest to Gatomon – had reached over with his feet (seeing as to how his neck and wrists were bound to the wall by chains.) and sliced through the ropes with his foot's razor sharp claws.

Gatomon grinned. "Alright…thanks a bunch!"

Gazimon snorted. "Won't do you much good…your neck's chained, not tied by flimsy ropes."

Gatomon smirked in response. "That wasn't my intention." She looked to her right at Cody, who was a mere three feet away. Gatomon strained herself as far as she could to reach into the little boy's pocket. She felt his D-3, but her hand wasn't far enough yet.

So she stretched herself out further.

She actually felt a few tendons in her arms and legs snap as she grasped the yellow D-3. Gatomon pulled it out and tossed into Cody's hand, which was chained to the wall. Her task complete, she slumped to the ground – her body was exhausted, and her arms and legs now refused to move.

Cody winced at Gatomon's pain. She had almost stretched herself out…literally. "Don't worry Gatomon…your efforts will be repaid." Cody put his thumb on the arrows, switched  Armadillomon? Armor-Digivolve!"

Armadillomon armor-digivolve to……Digmon: The Drill of Knowledge!

Armadillomon's armor-digivolution to Digmon caused his chains to break. After all, he HAD grown over ten-fold in size. The chains were unable to hold him anymore. Digmon grinned as said, "Alright! Let's cut loose! Rock Cracking!"

Digmon's drills began to spin, but he did not stick them into the ground.

Instead, he used them to drill through the chains binding the Digidestined and the Digimon. The children stretched their bodies in relief, and Gazimon grinned as he flexed his aching arms. The rabbit looked at the Digidestined and shouted, "Come you kids! We need some extra firepower if we're going to destroy the Control Spire and reclaim the town!"

"Right!" Davis, Yolei, and TK pulled out their D-3s. Kari, however, was unwilling to have Gatomon stress herself further. The cat Digimon was already over-stretched like a used rubber band; she didn't want to cause any breaking of the bones.

Veemon armor-digivolve to……Flamedramon: The Armor of Courage!

Hawkmon armor-digivolve to……Halsemon: The Wings of Love!

Patamon armor-digivolve to……Pegasusmon: Flying Hope!

----

Two minutes later, the front doors of the prison exploded. A cloud of brown and gray dust rose into the air, and out of the rubble stepped four large figures, six medium-small figures, and over twenty small figures. Flamedramon, Digmon, Halsemon, and Pegasusmon stepped forward to protect the Digidestined as the emerged from the prison.

Matt quickly looked near the top of the plateau. A stream of blue fire could be seen near one of the buildings near the Control Spire. Garurumon's up there… "Okay. Yolei, Cody. You guys stay down here with Kari and fend off the Veggiemon. TK, Davis. You guys come up with me to take down the Control Spire!"

Yolei and Cody nodded as Digmon and Halsemon steeled themselves for battle. As Flamedramon and Pegasusmon carried Davis, TK, and Matt away towards the top, all of the Veggiemon swarmed at their position. The 20+ small figures, the Gazimon, quickly attacked in retaliation.

The Gazimon's fur crackled a pale green as bolts of static-E leapt at the vegetables. "Electric Stun Blast!"

Digmon and Halsemon were quick to fight as well.

"Gold Rush!"
 

"Eagle Eye!"

----

Davis wondered why Matt had taken command of the situation so quickly. He briefly recalled Tai telling him about how Matt (in their past adventures in the Digiworld) would sometimes seem to take command of the group (something that sort of ticked Tai off back then). Perhaps this was his chance to assume the mantle of leader, even if for just one afternoon? Oh well, no time for that now!


Indeed, as Garurumon and RedVeggiemon had already turned their attention to the two Armored Champions.

"Red Thorn!" RedVeggiemon stretched his spiky limbs at Pegasusmon. The pegasus quickly descended to the top of the plateau as the attack sailed over him.

"Howling Blaster!" A stream of deadly blue-white fire erupted from Garurumon's mouth, threatening to burn Davis and Flamedramon alive. Whilst in midair, Flamedramon twisted to gracefully dodge the incoming attack before landing on his feet by Pegasusmon.

Davis hopped off of Flamedramon, while Matt and TK jumped down from Pegasusmon's back. Matt calmly yelled, "Hey! Emperor!"

----

The Emperor had been enjoying himself until now.

He had gleefully watched as Garurumon and RedVeggiemon besieged the dozen Gazimon that were left to resist. He always enjoyed watching weaker beings struggle in the face of certain doom. There was a certain quality about the whole scenario that held a certain…aura of pleasure to him.

But as the two Champions had been preparing to launch a final assault, an explosion had caught his attention.

The Digidestined had broken out of the prison.

Oh well, the Emperor had thought. I'll have to take care of them myself.

The Emperor grinned as Matt called him. "What is it you want Ishida? I'm a little busy putting down a resistance movement, so if you don't mind, just let yourself die already."

Matt scoffed. He couldn't believe this kid's attitude! "Man, you've got the most rotten attitude I've ever seen!"

The Emperor laughed at Matt's reply. "You may perceive me as rotten, but I'm currently busy trying to establish order in the Digital World. Now die already!"

Davis growled. "You nutcase!"

"Perception, dear boy." quipped the Emperor as he pointed at Flamedramon and Pegasusmon. "Attack!"

Garurumon leapt at Flamedramon. "Howling Blaster!"

Flamedramon leapt over the stream of flame and cocked his burning left fist. "Weak sauce! Fire Rocket!" Flamedramon launched three balls of fire at Garurumon, who expertly dodged them.

RedVeggiemon squared off with Pegasusmon. "Let's see you deal with this! Stink Gas!" The vegetable exhaled a pale yellow cloud of poisonous fumes that surrounded Pegasusmon, causing him to gag.

"Gah! It smells!" Pegasusmon quickly beat his wings to disperse the cloud, which it did.

However, the cloud was a cover.

A cover for the two spike-covered appendages that came at him like bulls seeing red. "Red Thorn!"

Pegasusmon groaned as the two spiky bludgeons knocked him senseless.                                            

"Howling Blaster!"

Flamedramon growled as the stream of blue flames singed his chest. That stuff was hotter than it looked…

"Don't give up Flamedramon!" cheered Davis. His eyes were a blaze of confidence…and it was contagious.

"You got it Davis!" Flamedramon's body suddenly was covered in red flames as he zoomed towards the wolf. "Fire Rocket!" Flamedramon slammed into Garurumon, sending him hurtling into the Control Spire. The base cracked where he hit, but it was only a bit.

Only a bit.

Garurumon roared as he leapt onto Flamedramon and began to wrestle with him.

The Emperor mentally sighed in relief. If the Control Spire cracked now, all of his forces in the sector would regain control of their bodies. Without the spire to amplify his Dark D-3's power, the Dark Rings were useless.

Speaking of forces, where in the world are those reinforcement regiments anyway?!

----

The six Champions lay on the ground, moaning, and bruised. They were unconscious, but they would survive. The Dark Rings had been torn off of the necks of both the Airdramon and the Tyrannomon. When they awoke, they would return home.

The figure grinned as he watched the six Digimon begin to stir. He was under the shade of a tree…and right next to a Digiport. "I think the Digidestined can handle themselves now. Let's go."

His partner – who had digivolved to a humanoid figure obscured by the shade – nodded as the male shouted, "Digiport open!"

In a flash of light, the two disappeared.

----

"Star Shower!"

A flurry of blue stars fell from Pegasusmon's wings, crashing into the ground around RedVeggiemon in a multitude of tiny explosions. RedVeggiemon was still raring to go.

The Emperor scratched the back of his neck; his hair had suddenly stood on its end.

"Electric…"

The sound made him pale with fear. It was as though Death was ringing its bell. He turned around…

"Stun…"

…to see the twelve Gazimon gathered behind the Control Spire. He couldn't believe it! The Gazimon had come out of hiding to regroup and take out the Control Spire! And the base was already weakened… "No! DON'T!!!"

"BLAST!!!"

A large ball of static-E shot forth and collided with the Control Spire. The tweleve Rookies had channeled their energy into one ball, giving it the relative strength of a Champion Digimon's attack.

And as a result…the black obelisk was sent tumbling.

It collapsed upon itself, flinging rubble all over the top of the plateau. The blood-red glow suddenly disappeared from RedVeggiemon's and Garurumon's eyes. RedVeggiemon confusedly took off his Dark Ring as Garurumon reverted to Gabumon, the shy biped wolf with a horn (mouthful, isn't it?).

Gabumon dully shook his head; he suddenly felt as if he had just woken up from a deep sleep.

But standing there…was Matt Ishida.

"Matt?" Gabumon rubbed his eyes again. "Is that you?"

The blonde Ishida nodded. "Yeah. Welcome back."

That clinched it for Gabumon. Only Matt Ishida could so casually maintain his 'cool guy' appearance in the face of reuniting with an old friend. "Matt!" Gabumon's dull fuchsia eyes were brimmed with tears as he gave his partner a bear hug. "I thought I'd never see you again!!!! You've come back!"

Matt smiled. "I have…" Even the oh-so-cool Matt Ishida couldn't stay cool ALL the time. A small tear trickled down his cheek as he returned the hug. "And this time, I won't leave."

----

The Gazimon with the scar on his face smiled as the Veggiemon took off their Dark Rings in confusion. He then glanced to the top of the plateau to see that the Control Spire was nothing more than a pile of rubble. He turned to the closest Digidestined (who happened to be Kari) and said, "Thanks for helping us free the town."

Kari smiled in response. Gatomon answered for her. "No problem. No problem at all."

Gazimon looked back at the rejoicing Gazimon as he thought out loud. "Now if only we can catch the Emperor…"

----

3:46 PM.

Izzy had been eating a cheese sandwich as the black square that represented sector 01-111-BETA turned white. It was a pleasant surprise – it meant that the Digidestined had succeeding in destroying whatever was causing the negative energy.

"Well, I hope they come back with some new info."

----

3:52 PM.

Part of his wish was granted.

The six Digidestined and Digimon who had left for suddenly tumbled out of the computer and onto him.

(Serves him right for breaking the fourth wall.)


----

The Emperor suddenly appeared out of a computer in the Monitor Room. He looked down in his hand at the silver PDA in his hand; although it was not a conventional Digiport, it still had an Internet connection. Thus, it served as a means for a quick getaway.

He glanced over to a darkened corner to see Wormmon sleeping. You won't be sleeping for long…I've got a plan for you to help me carry out.

The Digidestined had discovered his Control Spires. A town with a determined resistance had beaten. Instead of being defeated by the Digidestined…the death blow to his occupation there was by a bunch of weakling Gazimon. He was downright humiliated.

And his humiliation would be the Digidestined's end.

He had to prepare a trap…a very deadly trap.

One that the Digidestined could not escape from…

A cruel grin suddenly came to his face. He had the perfect location in mind.

"Time to pay a visit to sector 01-000-ALPHA…the Valley of Death."

To be continued…

Next Time…

Episode 5: Le Piege Est Tendu

Author's Note: Believe it or not, the next chapter's title has French words! Yes, I know they would've translated it all the way in the show, but this is my fic! So bleh!

I WILL give you the meaning in the next chapter…but a free cookie goes to one who can guess it before the next chapter! Two cookies if one can guess what inspired the title name? Hint: Matt Reilly.

See you next time!