First, special thanks to fireangel08,Light-of-hope-07,Evenstar606, and Lord Pata for reviewing. And thanks to all of you who are following this story. I hope you like this chapter.

I do not own Digimon. I do not own its characters either.

KNOCK! Ken turned around to face the door. He was in one of the main lounges, but he had shut the doors to be alone and think.

"Come in!" Ken said. The door opened, and Ian stood in the doorway. Ken, who had been avoiding this newcomer since he arrived, sighed deeply.

"Can I help you?" Ken asked. Ian looked around nervously, before meeting Ken's eyes, and then looked away.

"I . . .just was wondering . . ." Ian started, but then began to mumble. Ken shook his head in misunderstanding.

"I realized, that you haven't talked to me since I arrived, and I was wondering if I had done something to upset you or something." Ken forced himself to smile and looked at Ian.

"No," Ken said. "I just don't trust people right away. I guess I've always been that way." Ian put on an understanding smile and said:

"Let me guess, you've been a loner most of your life. You didn't have many friends before you met Wormmon," Ian said indicating Ken's partner digimon sitting on the opposite sofa.

"How did you-?" Ken began, but Ian interrupted him.

"I used to be the same way." Ian sighed. "I was abandoned as a small child, I had no home, no friends, and no one I could trust." At this he turned his head and looked away. Ken could feel that Ian's past still haunted him. Ken was reminded of what it was like after he stopped being the Digimon Emperor. It was a rough period that he didn't know who he was, or what. What really helped Ken was facing it, and eventually finding Wormmon, a friend he could talk to.

"You have friends now." But Ken seemed unsure, as if he were still testing it out.

"I became the Digimon emperor because I didn't have anyone to talk to. If you have something to face, let it out. Whatever it is, it needs to get off of your chest." Ken said. Ian, hesitated, and then started again:

"I lived mainly alone. I fed myself, clothed myself, and took care of myself. Eventually, I met some people, and made friends." He spat out friends, as if it were an ugly word.

"But I basically used them. I didn't care who they were, or why they helped me. I had a saying I lived by: 'Don't help anyone who doesn't help you.'" He paused, hesitating, "Eventually, there came a night where I was alone, in Japan, around a place called Highton View Terrace. I saw two terrible creatures attack each other. Later, did I find out these were the first Digimon I would see. In the center, I saw two children, trying to stay out of the way. A small boy, and an even smaller girl. I should have helped them. I . . ." Ian's voice faltered, as he became lost in the memory. Ken searched his brain for an escape to this conversation. Before he could think of one, Ian continued:

"All I had to do, was run out and get them, but I didn't. I didn't. There was a terrible blast and then the monsters were gone, and so were the children. I ran, I ran and I ran, until the years finally caught up with me. I was alone again. All because I didn't save two children. Then something unexpected happened. I had found a digital gate, and traveled through it to the Digital world." Tears began to fall down Ian's face, as he finally told his deadly secret.

"So you see . . ." Ian said, "being alone doesn't help anyone. If I had cared more, I could have saved those kids. I could've . . . I could've . . ." Ken looked around uncomfortably as Ian put his head in his hands. That's when he saw that some of the other Digidestined were there too. It was T.K., followed by Kari, and Davis. In the hallway stood Tai and Sora. And by the look on their faces, they had heard everything. It was Kari who walked up and put her arm around the upset Digidestined.

"Hey. It's O.K. I'm alright." She said soothingly. Ian raised his head.

"What?"

"It was my brother and I you saw that night at Highton View Terrace. But we're okay. See?"

"It was you?" Ian asked.

"Yes." Tai said silently from the doorway.

"You see . . . we didn't die. In fact, if you had gone out there to save us, you might have been killed yourself." Kari said. Ribmon jumped onto the sofa and put his arms around his partner in a tight hug. As his arm brushed Kari's, she gasped in shock, from the warmth that the skeleton arm protruded. Davis, obviously feeling the awkwardness of the situation, suggested something.

"Hey!" he said. "Let's all go outside for a bit." Everyone slowly agreed, and got up and walked outside. Ian wiped his eyes. It was nice and warm out. The sun shone on everyone's face. The landscape surrounding the headquarters was beautiful. There was a small plain leading to a short cliff incline. The morning sun shone from behind the cliff, making the meadow glitter.

"It's very beautiful out here. I could get a tan." Mimi said. Palmon giggled with her.

"Yeah!" Armadillomon, Cody's partner said. "Nothing could ruin today!"

"Oh? I'm sure I could think of a few things." Said a nasty and cruel voice. Everyone looked up to the nearby cliff. Two figures, obscured by the sunlight stood there watching the Digidestined. One, the speaker, was very tall. The other one seemed to be back as if afraid to be considered equal to the speaker.

"Who are you?" Tai, the usual leader, demanded.

"Why Tai Kamiya. You should know." The tall figure said with a mocking tone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora asked.

"Be careful!" T.K. said. "They're digidestined. Look!" All of the digidestined looked behind the two figures and saw two small digimon.

"Very good T.K. Takashi. But not on your side. In fact, we've come to tell you something. The end of your time is over. Now is the reign of Darkness." The figure smiled. Kari shuddered and stepped back.

"The Darkness . . ." she whispered. The dark sense she had been feeling suddenly multiplied. She began to tremble involuntarily.

"Those are big words, let's see you carry them out." Davis taunted.

"Of course." The figure said amused. He waved his arm back to his Digimon partner. "Show them Lizardmon!" The figure yelled.

Lizardmon Dark Warp Digivolve to . . . Komodomon!

Behind the two figures was a giant lizard Digimon. To T.K. it looked like a huge iguana or lizard from a bad science fiction movie. It was dark green, with a huge scaled body, four bulky legs, and a long spiked tail. It opened its mouth to hiss at them. Mimi shuddered as she saw the huge fangs that dripped a dark green liquid.

"You show them too, Lobstermon!" the second person yelled.

Lobstermon Dark Warp Digivolve to . . . Metal Lobstermon!

Then stood a huge lobster type digimon covered in metal. It was blood red, also bulky, but it had two black eyes. Kari trembled harder when she saw those eyes. They had no pupil, but where pitch black. What made everyone gasp was a huge tail with a spiked ball at the end, like a medieval flail.

"Attack!" the first figure shouted.

"Dark Warp Digivolve?" Tai said turning white. Agumon and Gabumon stepped forward.

"Let's show them how it's really done." Matt said. Tai nodded.

Gabumon Warp Digivolve to . . . Metal Garurumon!

Agumon Warp Digivolve to . . . WarGreymon!

"They don't stand a chance against us." MetalGarurumon said.

"Well let's not even give them an option." Davis said. Ken stepped behind them and nodded. V-mon and Wormmon stepped up.

V-mon Digivolve to X-V-mon!

Wormmon Digivolve to Stingmon!

The two champion Digimon nodded toward one another.

X-V-mon . . . Stingmon . . . DNA Digivolve to . . .

But then the Digivolution failed and the two stood there.

"What's happening?" X-V-mon demanded. The figure on the cliff laughed.

"You can't DNA Digivolve fools." He cackled.

"We can't DNA digivolve . . ." Davis said. Ken gasped.

"NO!" Yolei yelled. "Hawkmon, Gatomon, you have to try."

"She's right" Kari said.

Hawkmon digivolve to Aquilamon!

Gatomon jumped down beside this huge bird digimon.

Aquilamon . . . Gatomon . . . DNA Digivolve to . . .

"We can't do it either." Gatomon wailed.

"Are Matt and Tai the only ones who can Digivolve to Mega?" T.K. asked.

"No," Ken said, "There's one other." Everyone looked at Ian. Ian looked at Ribmon.

"Do you think you can do it?" he said.

"Ready when you are." Ribmon said.

Ribmon Warp Digivolve to . . . Anatomon!

Anatomon had a snout, kind of like WarGreymon. He was actually comparable in shape and size to WarGreymon, except, all Anatomon was, was Bone and Muscle, and Cold Red eyes. Except the eyes, to Cody it looked almost like something out of a biology textbook. It had bones, and ligaments, and big muscles, all throughout its torso. The three Mega digimon charged the attacking two.

"Frost Wolf bite!" MetalGarurumon said and hit Metal Lobstermon in the head.

"Terra Force!" WarGreymon shouted and threw the blast at the attacking Digimon. Smoke covered the entire field. When it cleared, the digidestined saw the two Digimon continuing to charge as if nothing happened. Everyone gasped. Komodomon opened his mouth wide and shouted:

"Acid spray!" Green blasts of liquid hit WarGreymon straight in the chest knocking him down. Davis had to hold Tai back from running to him. Tai cried out:

"WarGreymon!" WarGreymon did not move from where he lay. Metal Lobstermon took his tail and swung it around and cried:

"Lobster Tail!" the tail glowed and hit MetalGarurumon in the side. MetalGarurumon slammed into the nearby cliff. Komodomon ran toward the Digidestined.

"Acid Spray!" he shouted, the green beams shot out toward the digidestined. Anatomon jumped in front of the Digidestined and intercepted the blow.

"No!!!" Ian screamed as Anatomon's body crumpled to the ground. Komodomon opened his mouth again when one of the figures on the cliff shouted.

"Stop!" he said laughing. "So this is the best the great Digidestined can do? I'm disappointed. I expected more. We must go now and retrieve our friends and take over the Digital world. But one more thing: Komodomon!" Komodomon opened his mouth wide; T.K. pushed Kari down, and held her protecting her. Tai and Matt both jumped in front of the group. But Komodomon wasn't aiming at them.

"Lizard breath!" Komodomon shouted and fire blew out of its mouth. It hit the Digidestined Headquarters straight on. All of the DigiDestined and their partners looked in horror as the HQ began to burn down. The two Digimon and their evil masters fled into the hills. The HQ was still burning down.

"Frost Wolf Bite!" they heard and they saw MetalGarurumon running toward them as he put out the fire. Tai dropped to his knees in the grass. It was over. They had lost . . . . .

Whoa! The plot thickens! Who is this mysterious group of Digidestined? Keep reading and find out! Please review! (No flames. This is my first Fiction!)